The Champions of Kal El
by Creedog VanDrey
Summary: Jor El imbues Clark and his friends with the powers of six mystical Kawatche warriors, the Champions of Kal El, giving them the quest of saving an alien race. Will have hints of Chlark and eventually Lexana.
1. The Charge

The Champions of Kal-El: The Charge  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: Clark and his friends are recruited to save an alien world.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5.

A/N: I will continue this story as long as it's a healthy mix of real action, sincere drama, and moments of tongue-in-cheek silliness. The latter is the crucial aspect. I will not allow this to turn into a purely serious (and clichéd) epic adventure. Or maybe I will; who knows? By the way, when I said hints of Chlark and Lexana, I meant just that. This is not a romance. Or maybe it will be; who know? As my fans will tell you, a lot of my work is spontaneous and often self-developing.

Because I started this fic mid-Season 5, it's become a bit AU. I correctly predicted that Clark and Lana would break up (and even that Clark would become abstinent after Hidden), and that she and Lex would start to get close (though I didn't realize to what extent). However, while this does take place between Seasons 5 and 6, it is _not_ a post-Vessel.

By the way, this was previously under the name "Arena," which was its working title. I was not satisfied with the first draft, so I've revamped the first chapter. This will delay the publishing of the anticipated second chapter several days. I apologize for the inconvenience.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Charge 

Pete Ross had finally gotten the chance to visit Smallville. His classes at Washburn University in Wichita kept him very busy for most of the year, especially since he started experimenting with the idea of going pre-law. But poli-sci was the last thing on Pete's mind as he walked through the cornfields of the Kent Farm.

"So, tell me more about this Fortress of Solitude you've got stashed in Canada," Pete prodded his best friend, Clark Kent, as they walked toward the Kent farm barn.

Clark brushed his bangs out of his eyes, commenting, "It's Jor-El's doing. It's really not much to look at, just a bunch of ice crystals in this huge… structure."

Pleading, Pete grabbed Clark's upper arm, "At least let me see it, man. Chloe says it's kind of cool."

Clark rolls his eyes, half-smiling as he commented, "Leave it to Chloe to find _one_ loophole about not talking about my powers… by talking about them with _you_." Clark ascended the stairs towards his loft.

Flashing his trademark toothy smile, Pete bounced up the steps behind his taller pal. "Let's not change the subject, O gifted one. So, we going?"

"Alright, alright; I'll take you. Trust me, it's one of those 'you only need to see it once' kind of things," Clark relented as he climbed the last flight of wooden stairs.

"So, did you convince him?" Chloe Sullivan's bright voice asked. She was sitting on the couch in Clark's other fortress of solitude, holding two conspicuous backpacks.

"Yeah, he totally caved," Pete commented, passing the motionless Clark so he could give Chloe a tight hug.

His voice full of mock suspicion, Clark asked, "What's going on?" With a lowered eyebrow, he surveyed both Pete and Chloe.

Tilting her head, Chloe replied, with false innocence, "What's going on is, we're going to visit your icy palace. Unless your alien brain has gotten more absent-minded." She playfully shoved his forehead, which required her to stand on her tip-toes.

In truth, Clark found his brain be able to forget less and less. He even found himself able to play back entire conversations. He hadn't shared this development with his in-the-know pals yet, knowing they'd immediately assume it was another superpower.

Clark continued his interrogation. "And the packs?"

With a mock obvious tone, Chloe told him, "Cold weather gear. Not all of us have super body heat. I don't want to have to explain to my dad how I caught pneumonia in June." She tossed one of the packs to Pete, who put it on, slipping his thumbs under the straps in a too-perfect ready-to-go mountaineer pose.

- - -

With Pete and Chloe in tow, Clark entered the deep chamber of the Kawatche caves that housed the transporting table. He nervously rotated the octagonal key in his hand. The trio stopped short at the entrance, finding themselves with company. Lex Luthor and Lana Lang stood side by side over the table, paper and charcoal in hand, making rubbings.

Clark and Lana shared an uneasy exchange of glances. The breakup occurred a few months ago, and the transition from lovers to friends hadn't been easy. "Lovers" in the poetic sense, at least. The physical part of their relationship had tacitly ceased after Clark's "near-death" and resurrection. But something else had changed in their relationship, something, which while not explicitly damning, led them down a path that proved to be too difficult for their relationship to weather.

With habitually undue confidence, Clark suspiciously asked Lex, "What are you doing here?"

Lex casually smiled. "I could ask you the same question, Clark. You forget that LuthorCorp still owns the protection lease on these caves. I have as much reason as you, if not more, to be here."

"I wanted to see the caves again," Pete vouched, "you know, for old time's sake."

Lex smiled slyly, responding in a Luthor-esque tone, "Well, Clark, if you must know, Lana asked me to lend a hand with her anthropology assignment."

With a wit to match, Chloe pointed out, "Lana, you _do_ realize that we got out of school for summer just a few weeks ago?" Lana and Chloe shared an equally uneasy glance. Living together, while not a total nightmare, had been grating on both of them. Plus, during his and Lana's relationship, Clark ended a lot of his calls by asking if he could talk to Chloe. They spoke in hushed tones for a few minutes and hung up. Lana assured herself there wasn't anything clandestine going on. Clark might be a dim bulb at times, but Chloe was too smart to think she could hide a covert liaison under Lana's nose.

Lana sweetly commented, "I'm taking Burrow's Anthro 221 class next semester. It's just some cave rubbings to get me a head start on the semester-end project he always gives."

There was a pregnant silence as everyone tried to think of the next thing to say. Lois Lane took this moment to stroll in, oblivious as ever. "I _thought_ I heard voices. Chloe, you are such a liar. You said this wasn't the social center of the town."

Chloe responded, "It's not. We're just giving Pete a tour. Oh, Pete, have you ever met my cousin, Lois?"

Pete cleared his throat and held out his left hand, stuttering for a second before regaining composure. "Pete Ross," he stated, standing up straight in a futile attempt to be taller than Lois.

Lois awkwardly shook with her non-dominant hand, " Lois Lane; nice to meet you." She turned to Chloe, "Is this the one that—?"

"Yeah," Chloe remarked, cutting her off, with a fake grin. Lois went to examine the tablet.

Pete scooted up to his blond friend and whispered to her, "That one that _what_?"

She whispered back, "I have no idea, but any question that starts like that is _not_ one you want Lois Lane to finish." Chloe gave him a sympathetic smile.

Looking Lois up and down, Pete commented amorously, "I see she inherited the Sullivan genes."

"Nice try, Ross, but she's from my mom's side of the family. And, might I add… _ew_!" She moved away from Pete to stand on the other side of Clark.

"Kal-El…" a deep, disembodied male voice suddenly spoke in a solemn tone.

Pete, Chloe, and Clark tensed up, as Lex, Lana, and Lois shared confused looks.

The voice spoke again, "I see that the circle of champions has been assembled. Let it begin…"

The walls began to glow with a blinding light, composed of thousands of glowing dots that raced across the walls of the chamber, quickly glowing brighter until the light blinded the inhabitants. After the brief flash, Clark and the others noticed one by one that the entrance of the cavern had been replaced by a stone wall, effectively trapping them inside the room.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" Lois yelled, "I refuse to be possessed by some witch's left-hand woman with questionable fashion taste again." Chloe inwardly beamed, taking small pleasure in the fact that it was Isobel's _right_-hand woman who had chosen to inhabit her body.

The voice, ignoring the confusion in the room and speaking with the same solemnity, commanded, "Draw close to the table, Champions, and the ceremony will begin."

Seeing no other choice, the six encircled the table, exchanging helpless glances. Lex was the first to speak. "Does anybody know who Kal-El is?"

Lana replied, "Kal-El. It's the same name those super-powered aliens asked for last year after the meteor shower…"

Jor-El's voice cut off Lana, "Champions of Kal-El, you have been chosen because my son has deemed you worthy of this quest. The world of Dagula-Inagehi is in great peril. It is prophesied that six worthy champions will free the Kenaki people. These brave fighters shall take on the roles of six great Kawatche warriors, and be guided by the great spirits, who will give them amazing abilities. By laying your hands on the table, you have accepted this charge."

All looked down, and realized the placement of their hands. All, in some way or another, were touching or gripping the table. Six pairs of hands flew away from the table as it if were a hot stove. Too late, it appeared, because Jor-El continued by majestically stating, "Then let the titling ceremony begin."

The pentagonal hole at the center of the table began to glow, and the small ball of energy emitted a beam which focused in on Clark's chest.

Jor-El's voice declared, "I find surpassing courage in you. You shall take the role of Naman on this quest."

A glowing light engulfed Clark briefly before dimming, and he found himself dressed in a Native American outfit, made from buckskin or a similar material. Ultramarine-colored moccasins covered his feet, a similarly colored kilt was wrapped around his waist, and a just-as-blue vest hung on his shoulders. Most striking about the outfit was the gleaming crimson symbol on the left breast of his vest: a gem-shaped pentagon circumscribed around a figure eight. Clark self-consciously tried to close the open vest. Chloe diverted her eyes and tried to suppress a smile. Lana looked down guiltily.

"For this journey, you have been given the strength of ten men, the speed of the wind, and the ability to shoot fire from your eyes. Lead well."

A similar beam focused on Pete, who was standing to Clark's right.

Jor-El's voice boomed as loud as ever, "In you, I have found great loyalty. For this, I grant to you the role of Dayak."

The light engulfed Pete and upon receding, he found himself in a Native American-style war shirt and pants made from a dark forest green fabric. In addition, a leather belt held a variety of weapons: a dagger, a tomahawk, and several small projectile weapons. On his shirt was a distinctive light blue symbol: a tall rhombus with a line extending from its right corner intersecting a small circle.

"With these powers, you shall wield any weapon with the skill of the greatest fighter."

"Cool," Pete muttered as he studied his belt with awe.

The light then focused on Chloe, who stood on the other side of Clark. "Hmm," Jor-El's voice mused, "I find great loyalty is this one as well. A fine choice for a champion, Kal-El. She shall then take the role of Loral, the Faithful." The transformation left Chloe in a belted, knee-length scarlet dress with tasseled edges; it had a modest pointed neckline and shoulder-length sleeves. In her left hand, she now found a long, slender, wooden staff with a small stone sphere attached to the top, inscribed with symbols resembling those decorating the cave walls. Her shoulder-length hair was in two braids which hung behind her ears.

"To you, I give the gift of second sight. You will know the hearts of those around you and you shall have an intimate knowledge of fate. Use your abilities wisely."

Clark then noticed that Chloe wore a bracelet on her left hand: a large turquoise gauntlet with a familiar emblem on it. He studied it closely, "I recognize this. This is Kyla's bracelet."

Chloe looked down, seeing a silver bracelet with a turquoise square inscribed diagonally to a wide oval; the side corners were connected to small bars which extended to the far edges of the oval. Smirking, Chloe teased, "Uh, you think I have anything to do with this bracelet? I'm in a total Wall of Weird episode just like you."

Whether Jor-El was answering her question or continuing with the traditional monologue, he stated, "For this journey, you will wear the Shaman's Eye bracelet, which was a gift from Naman to his lady love, Loral. Traditionally, Loral would give it to such a warrior, who would pledge to bring her husband home safely."

Chloe looked stressed. "Way to put the pressure on psychic girl! I guess I shouldn't worry, though. Last time I check, you weren't married, Clark." The two of them exchanged grins. Chloe then seemed to notice her braids and eyed them with mixed emotions.

The light engulfed Lana and left her wearing a short-sleeved fuchsia dress with a pointed skirt and a wide, beaded collar. The collar, worn over her shoulders, featured a symbol in the maroon beadwork: two horizontal, parallel lines each attached to a small, off-center circle, with a small dot floating on either end. Attached to her waist was a coiled black rope. Her hair was tied in a long braid which hung loosely behind her back.

"I have no doubt that this champion is Rayen the Joyous." Jor-El stated, "To you, I give the compassion to deal with all beings. You carry with you the unbreakable Cord of Rayen; its length will conform to your desire."

Lana looked at her dress and the symbol when she noticed Clark and Chloe pale. She, too, recognized the symbol on her dress to be reminiscent to the one that was tattooed on her lower back for the better part of a year.

When the beam focused on Lois, it paused for a long time. It then flickered around, briefly re-illuminating the other Champions before returning to Lois.

"The other champion in this room is Sageeth the Strong. This champion must therefore be Myora the Wise." Jor-El seemed to mull over it further, but nonetheless continued, "To her, I give the gift of flight and ability to cloak herself from the sight of others."

When the light receded from Lois, she was left in a deep purple, two-piece outfit; the top was a sleeveless, tasseled, lace-up, halter-like bustier and the bottom a knee-length skirt. She also wore a headband with a silver symbol: a horizontal figure-eight above a horizontal line.

There were glances exchanged in the room as Lois was being named "Myora the Wise."

Jor-El continued quickly, "To Sageeth, I give extraordinary stamina, endurance, resistance to pain, and speed of thought. I also gift to you the Blade of Parity. It must never be unsheaved unless the power of Naman grows too great."

Lex was engulfed in yellow light which receded to reveal him donning golden-yellow pants and a poncho-like shirt. Lex mouthed the name "Sageeth" to himself. On his cloth belt were two sheaves: a small one made out of dull metal with a strap holding the small dagger inside, and a larger one, encasing a very simple but very menacing-looking saber. On the front of his shirt was an umber brown crest: a large circle above and connected to a smaller circle, which was intersected by a small horizontal line.

"And now," Jor-El's voice said, as the octagonal key flew from Clark pocket. Clark would have panicked, but Lex's and Lana's heads were turned. The key inserted itself into the table.

"You will travel a great distance to complete the quest. Good luck, brave warriors."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's short, but in reality, I'm just trying to stop myself from sitting on this forever. Originally, I wanted to write the entire story as one chapter, but I realized as I looked through what I had already written since February, it would be better to break it up. Chapter 2, "Homeworld", will be up as soon as I fill in the details of what I've already written. Right now, I'm imagining a 5-chapter story. 

(Sonriso) - Hey, _I_ want powers, too! I can be Sonriso the Sarcastic, with the ability to debilitate any enemy with my biting wit! Or maybe I'll just take a nap.

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Sunday, February 12, 2006. Finished Thursday, July 19, 2006. Updated Sunday, August 20, 2006.


	2. Homeworld

The Champions of Kal-El: Homeworld  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: The Champions of Kal-El experience their first taste of the Dagula-Inagehi world.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5. Saying anything else would spoil more than the story would.

A/N: Okay, now that Chronos is finally finished, I'm able to work on this one full-time, which it has been begging me to do for some time now. Bear with me as the level of seriousness of this story fluctuates. Tell me if it's working out (or isn't!).

By the way, you may have noticed that I've updated. Chapter 3 (or what was Chapter 3) is half-done, and, in an effort to prevent a month-long delay between chapters, I've broken the five-part story into eight parts, so that chapters will come out more frequently. And, because I'm forcing myself to become a better writer, each chapter will be revised and updated each time I publish a new chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2: Homeworld 

Stars and galaxies flew by. None of the so-called "Champions of Kal-El" could really tell how they were traveling; they felt disembodied yet still able to watch the passing space debris. Before long, it became apparent that a certain spiral galaxy was their destination. Flying through the layers of dust, they came in on a solar system with a yellow sun and three planets. The first planet was small and mostly brown with a few tiny patches of green and blue. The second was a rust-colored gas giant with a thin band of rings. The outmost was a deep blue planet much larger than the first but still smaller than the second. They headed toward the brown planet.

After coming in headfirst, or what seemed like it, Clark and the rest were all very surprised—but grateful nonetheless—to find themselves standing on the ground on their feet, rather than on their heads. Despite the arid, desert-like surroundings underneath a shining sun, the temperature was moderate.

The purple-clad Lois surveyed their surroundings. "So, this is Dracula-Aguilera. Charming place."

"A bit underdeveloped," Lex added earnestly, "too few motels." He folded his arms. In his golden yellow Native American costume, this looked very fitting.

The pink-dressed Lana spied the oasis. "You know, the Wizard of Oz didn't exactly give us a map. Maybe we're supposed to go to that oasis-looking place?"

"You'd think if that's where we're supposed to go, Jor-El woulda put us there," Pete thought aloud, fingering the weapons on the belt of his dark green costume.

Chloe added knowingly, "Maybe there's a test involved. We all _are_ about to be attacked by sand ninjas with superspeed."

A perplexed Lois turned her head to her cousin and asked incredulously, "What?"

Chloe swung her staff, knocking down a humanoid creature that appeared out of nowhere. Since it was covered in heavy tan robes, very little detail could be discerned about the creature except for his clawed hands, which were scaly and an unusual gray-green color. "That was the sentry. Can we _get_ back to the part where I'm kinda psychic!"

No one had a chance to reply as Chloe swung her staff again, knocking over another attacker. Her victory was short lived, as another creature knocked her down before she had a chance to react. The rest of the group soon found themselves on the ground under similar circumstances, except for Clark, who became an invisible blur as he fought their attackers at their speed, which gave the others time to recuperate. Clark's salvation, however, was short lived, as approximately forty creatures appeared, far too many for Clark to face alone. In between exchanging attacks with the "sand ninjas," he used his supersped vision to check up on the condition of his companions. Chloe was by far the most graceful, swinging her staff to knock over one to three monsters at a time, her powers instinctively instructing her how to move. But she was also outnumbered and was often powerless to prevent the attackers from knocking her over. Pete found his attacking skills futile against an enemy moving many times faster than he could. However, after switching to an all-around defensive style, he was able to limit his attackers' strikes, shielded from the creatures' sharp claws by his conveniently invincible garments. Lex pulled out his large saber and attacked at will. His attacks were more focused than Pete's because of his ability to watch in fast-motion. However, he too could not match the physical speed of the warriors, and took a great many hits, though he fought relentlessly with the help of his enhanced stamina and endurance. Lana was in the most peril. While she attempted to make good use of her ropes, even knocking down one or two assailants who inadvertently got caught her lariat, her powers had not given her any aid in this scuffle. Clark, faced with such an onslaught, was unable to aid his friends outside a few well-time shoves. He noted the lack of Lois, until he saw sand creatures being mysteriously drug into the air and allowed to drop from highs of at least a hundred feet, many of them never recovering from the fall.

Lana at this point was being held down by no less than three of the creatures. In desperation, she screamed, "Why don't you guys just slow down!"

Instantly, the scene changed. All the creatures, which were mostly invisible to the eyes of everyone but Clark and Lex, started attacking in what could only be described as "normal" speed, though with no less fury. Pete quickly noticed the change and immediately took out four of the creatures in as many seconds with his expertly-wielded weapons. Lex's success in battle also improved, now with lightning-fast reflexes aiding his natural fencing talent. Lana, too, found herself able to use her martial arts skills. Sand creatures began to rain down from above in greater numbers as the invisible Lois was easily able to grab her fill. Clark wished he could admire his friends' newly-learned talents, but he too joined the battle, taking the superspeed advantage that their adversaries had lost, or chose to lose, thanks to Lana's gift of persuasiveness. Within minutes, the forty-something creatures lay motionless on the ground. Lois, who had forgone her invisibility, was making use of her black belt skills to hold an aerial battle with a less-than-conscious opponent. She quickly ended the battle with a vicious side-kick with knocked the final enemy into a rock face.

Pete, witnessing this, commented to Lois, "Whoa, letting out a little aggression?"

Lois smiled as she drifted to the ground. "Trust me, if you'd dated some of the guys I have…"

- - -

After a quick inventory of injuries, all of them minor thanks to the sand beings' lack of traditional weapons, the fellowship of six set out toward the oasis a few miles in the distance. For the first ten minutes of their arduous journey, there was silence as they regained their energy. Pete, looking pensive, broke the silence. "If we were the Power Rangers, do you think I'd be the Black Ranger?"

Many eyes were rolled, and Clark was the first to berate him. "Well, if we're talking first season, the Black Ranger _was_ the 'non-leader, non-geek, non-chick' one. Racial undertones aside."

"None taken," Pete assured his friend.

Lana tried to steer the conversation in a more serious direction. "Who do you see me as?" There were a chorus of "Pink Ranger" replies, and Lana's response was to meekly comment about how she'd diversified her wardrobe since her time in Paris, which of course, given her hot-pink attire, was a moot issue.

Chloe, knowing the implications of their journey on a foreign and obviously hostile planet, commented, "Dare I open the can of worms, but who's the Red Ranger of this posse?"

Lex was quick to answer, " Clark was given the role of Naman, who I take it was the hero of sorts of the Kawatche myths. However, stop me if you think my pride's getting in the way, but I don't see Sageeth as an unimportant character."

Pete mulled over it and replied, "No, and I'd be the first to cut you down, Baldy. Perhaps Clark's the Red Ranger, and you're the Green Ranger."

"Who was evil," Lex brought up.

Chloe was quick to rebut, "As was Sageeth."

Lex, not to be outdone, parried, "Yet I was still given his role in a rescue mission. I believe we're inclined to assume this is the pre-betrayal Sageeth. And that's not even taking into account my alternate interpretation of the Naman-Sageeth myth."

Clark sighed heavily. "Lex, it was valid theory, but I think it's really going to pull us off-topic."

Chloe paused, "Where does that leave Lois and I?"

Pete seemed to have anticipated this question. "Well, as you can see, we have a different ratio of males to females. Chloe, I'm tempted, given your proficiency with computers—understatement—to place you under the Blue Ranger subheading. Take it with a grain of salt, though. You are a little less geeky than Billy."

"A _little_ less!" Chloe moved to raise her staff in the air.

Reaching for his dagger to block, Pete replied, "C'mon, he got cooler later on."

This seemed to sate Chloe, who wondered, "Whatever did happen to him?"

Clark smiled to himself. "If I'm remembering correctly, he became the behind-the-scenes research-inventor guy. He eventually got sick somehow and had to be taken to this other planet to get healed. He ended up falling in love with an alien." As he finished his statement, his eyes locked with Chloe. There was an awkward silence as Clark, Chloe, and Pete exchanged uncomfortable glances. Lois, Lana, and Lex noticed their nervousness, but none could decipher the reason.

Chloe quickly added, "When I was four, I had a crush on E.T." This only succeeded in producing another awkward silence, shared by all. Chloe laughed nervously adding, "It wasn't really a crush. I just felt bad for him when he got sick. You know, at that age…"

Lois took note of her cousin's uncharacteristic verbal ineptness.

- - -

During a sort of halfway break, Chloe moved to stand near the edge of the cliff. She watched as the sky moved from a light blue to a warm reddish color.

Clark walked over to her, playfully flicking one of her braids. Chloe had tried to undo the dreaded things, but found that the band holding them together was made from an inelastic, super-durable material. "You seem distracted."

"This empathy thing's really taxing emotionally. Being a girl, I always thought I could read people's expressions well. Maybe I wasn't as good as other girls, but better than, you know… guys." Clark laughed. Chloe went on, "But this… this is like a sixth sense."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that Pete's got himself a girlfriend that he's not telling us about, and he's _crazy_ about her. Head over heels." Clark was silent, allowing her to go on. "Lois's emotions are more turbulent than she lets on. For example, I think she's starting to wonder if she's cut out to be your mom's chief of staff, since her only other job experience is being a waitress." They shared a chuckle. Chloe added softly, "You and Lana… you're growing apart, aren't you? You still love her, but…"

"It's… it's…" He sighed. "…we're getting to be so distant. Our friendship is strained. It's like something's coming between us."

"It's Lex and me."

"What?"

"Lana feels like I'm coming between you two." Clark started to protest. "Not romantically, Clark. She's caught onto the fact we were sharing something, something big, and that we're keeping it from her."

"My secret," Clark offered as the obvious answer. He added a question, "What about Lex?"

"Lana's seeing something in Lex that she's never seen before. I don't know what though."

"The empathy has its limits?"

"I knew that before I got these powers."

Clark couldn't find any words.

"There's someone else, too, isn't there, Clark? Someone in your life?"

Clark paused to think. "Uh, well, there was this girl that I did a Bio project with last semester. She's beautiful and I might have asked her out if I wasn't with Lana at the time. Maybe I will when I go back to school. It's not _that_ major. Haven't actually thought about her in a while." Chloe nodded her head in agreement. Clark quickly added, "And it's not like you're not a big part of my life… and beautiful and…"

Chloe smiled and held up her hand. "It's okay, Clark; don't worry about it. If anything, these powers have told me I've been underestimating my looks for a long time. I can feel something going on in yours and Pete's and even Lex's heads when you look at me. It's not the same… heated… feeling I get when I note that, for example," she stated critically, "Pete's staring at Lois's ass. It's, uh…" She looked up at Clark, who was watching her. "…it's like you're appreciating some incredible work of art."

Clark looked away. "Well, you really are beautiful, Chloe. It's just… not something I can comment on lightly, given… given everything. Plus, I guess some of us are distracted by other people most of the time." He said this last part with added weight.

Chloe smirked, "You can't see the moon when the sun is out, right?"

Clark paused thoughtfully. "You know, I read somewhere that that wasn't a good analogy." He seemed to debate the point for a moment before continuing, "Now, bear with me, 'cause this might not go where I intend. While you could equate beauty with light, that doesn't take in to account that it's easier to look at the moon than the sun. People usually say the moon's pretty more often than the sun. But in reality, it's just a rock. The sun's the source of life for the universe. And for me, it's the source of my powers. That last part wasn't in the book obviously, but it works, right?" Clark clearly had no idea if his monologue was well-placed

His answer came as Chloe laid a quick kiss on his cheek. "I get it. Thank you for making my day, Clark. By the way, I was totally bluffing about that girl in your life thing." Then she asked, with her typical curiosity, "But, really, what have you been preoccupied with all day?"

Clark's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"All day, this same feeling's been coming back to you and it makes you really nervous and anxious and embarrassed sometimes. Not to pry, but… are you worried about the danger or…?"

Clark paused for a moment and laughed. "You're really addicted to the truth, aren't you?" Chloe just gave him an affirmative shrug with an "isn't-it-obvious?" grin. "If you must know," Clark said as his cheeks reddened, "…well, would I be wrong to assume you're not wearing anything under that dress?"

Chloe tilted her head in surprise. "I'm really not sure if I like where this is going, Clark Kent. Couldn't you use your super-duper alien eyes to check?"

Clark cleared his throat before continuing, quickly, "I did. I looked from behind. Completely bare back, from your shoulders to as far down as I dared to check."

Chloe, without noticing what she was doing, smoothed her costume, "So, you _are_ a nineteen-year-old male."

Hoping to distract her, he added, "Yeah. The reason I bring it up is… I'm not either… wearing anything underneath, that is." Chloe cat-called playfully. Clark sheepishly grinned, before confessing, "And it feels really good. And it's kind of mix of… 'Should I be liking this much as I am?' And, 'I dearly hope this loincloth thing is loose enough.'"

Chloe by this point was in a fit of giggles. "You can take the boy off of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the man." She grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards the group, who showed signs of being prepared to continue the journey.

- - -

The six champions reached the alien palace as the sun started to disappear on the horizon. The palace was castle-like: square-based with high walls. However, instead of rock, the structure was made of a shiny gray metal, organically molded with several pointed pinnacles looking more like stalagmites than towers. What seemed to be the door was a twenty-five-foot brass circle on the front wall. Before the champions had time to consider a way to alert the castle's inhabitants of their presence, the "door" started to make a low groaning noise as it slowly emerged from its position. Held up by unseen forces, it floated in the air, and then started to rotate forward, like a hovering drawbridge, until it came to rest on the sandy ground. Two figures walked out to the edge of the ten-foot platform to peer down on their six visitors. The creatures were somewhat humanoid, though less so than the strange assailants in the desert. They were tall, almost eight feet tall, and sinewy, with salmon-colored skin and thick, gray hair which flowed straight back across their oval heads. Their eyes were almond-shaped, completely white with small black pupils; their noses small; their mouths wide and lipless. They began to speak in a foreign language which was devoid of strange clicks or noises, making it sound Earthly. There were two of them, dressed in light blue robes with high collars.

They didn't exactly look or sound happy.

* * *

A/N: You laugh, but you _know_ that these characters are just the right age to have watched Power Rangers.

(Sonriso) - I'm like Alpha-5, according to Creedog. Which one was he again?

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Sunday, July 16, 2006. Finished Friday, July 21, 2006. Updated Monday, August 21, 2006.


	3. Introductions

The Champions of Kal-El: Introductions  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: The Champions meet the Kenaki people. They are surprised by what they see and learn.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5. It's fairly AU now, so I wouldn't worry about me spoiling anything really.

A/N: I've decided that maybe this shorter chapter format is a smarter way to do my stories. If you read novels, well, action novels anyway, some of the chapters are very short, as are the parts of my story. Anyway… that didn't seem relevant. Read the story already.

* * *

Chapter 3: Introductions 

The tall, sinewy beings finished speaking in the foreign language. They continued to stare down at the six visitors with suspicion.

"Clark," Chloe stated under her breath, nudging him, "maybe you oughta introduce us before they decide we're hostile invaders." At this, she shoved him forward. The pair looked down at him with emotionless expressions.

Clark cleared his throat, "I am Clark Kent. We are the Champions of Kal-El. Jor-El has sent us to rescue the Kenaki people."

Sensing Clark's lack of confidence, the suave Lex moved to stand by him. "We are skilled warriors, but we mean you no harm. If you understand us, perhaps you might be able to direct us to where we might find the Kenaki. If you could also provide us with food and shelter, we would be greatly indebted."

The two creatures looked to one another, there mouths curling into smiles, almost smirks. Suddenly, the ground beneath the champions shook and they found themselves being raised on a metal platform, much like the circular one that staged the beings. The platform was square except for the front, which curved in, fitting like a puzzle piece with the circular platform.

One of the beings spoke, in a very neutral voice with slightly off intonation and rhythm, "Forgive us, Champions of Kal-El. Since it was very likely that you had to face the Waya warriors in the desert, we knew you to be powerful adversaries, and we could not immediately assume you were not malevolent. We are now convinced. However, we are very amused by your quest. _We_ are the Kenaki people, and at this moment we are facing no perils. The Champions of Kal-El the First liberated us long ago. However, if you are the true Champions of Kal-El the Great, sent by his most benevolent father, Jor-El, then we welcome you with great merriment."

The six took a few cautious steps forward.

"However," the other being stated, speaking a tad faster than his companion, "it is traditional that you each introduce yourself and the Kawatche hero you have been chosen to represent, so that we may sense the virtues within you."

Clark, which a glance from Lex, stepped forward, "My name is Clark Kent. I represent Naman. "

The creatures smiled and quickly bowed their heads. "You must be of unsurpassed courage, Clarkent," one of them stated.

Lex stood beside Clark, "On my planet, I am called Lex Luthor. I represent Sageeth."

The creatures smiled even wider. "I already see great strength in you, Lek-Sluthore," the creature on the left commented.

Chloe bounced to Clark's other side, "I'm Chloe Sullivan. I was chosen to represent Loral."

The two creatures exchanged impressed looks. "How well you must represent Her Majesty Loral to have such courage that you have accompanied your husband on this journey."

Chloe's confidence faded, but not her poker face. "Say what?"

One of the creatures began a jubilant explanation, "No being could truly represent Naman without a loyal and true consort acting as the embodiment of Loral. However, it is very rare that that consort does not select a warrior to go in her place."

The right being spoke up, "Your presence here has inspired us. Tomorrow, we shall hold a coronation ceremony, in honor of your courage and devotion to your husband." His companion nodded in agreement.

Clark was about to protest, but Chloe quickly laced her arm through Clark's, placing her other hand on his bicep and squeezing it hard. Clark felt no pain, but got the message nonetheless. She whispered under her breath, activated his super-hearing, "We're trying to prove ourselves. Let's work out the technicalities later."

Luckily, Pete joined Chloe by Clark's right side, before the welcoming committee's suspicion was raised by the pause. "I am Pete Ross, and Jor-El chose me to represent Dayak."

The creatures bowed their heads again. "Truly you serve your master well, Peetros. Welcome."

Lois strolled in between Clark and Chloe, breaking up their embrace. Holding her hands out, she stated, "I am Lois Lane. I think that that Jarnelle guy told me I'm… Myora?"

The two creatures were almost laughing in mirth. "Welcome, Lowzlane. Truly your race has become more enlightened. You are the first female representative of Myora that we have heard of. We can only imagine what wisdom you must share with your fellow champions to be awarded such a prestigious title as Myora's envoy."

"Oh, that's the way it goes." She winked, and the creatures smiled again.

Lana approached slowly, standing close to Lex. With all the voice she could muster, she stated, "I'm Lana Lang… and I represent Rayen."

The left creature stated dramatically, "Ah, yes, Kal-El is not blind. What a beautiful and exotic visage you are. Well worthy of Rayen's title."

His companion proclaimed, "I have no doubt that you are the true Champions. Your very virtues spring forth from your souls like the finest perfumes. Please enter with us."

- - -

The castle from the outside looked fairly impressive, but by no means did it seem gargantuan: maybe a hundred meters square around the base, and probably three stories tall. However, if anything, the Kenaki people were crafty architects. The three stories seen from the outside were the _top_ three. Nineteen floors had been built beneath the visible castle. Some of them were as high as ten to fifteen meters; some of them hundreds of meters wide and long.

The champions discovered this during a tour of the facilities, which was directed by the two hosts that greeted them, whose names they learned to be Proditor and Beipanzhe. The mode of travel was a large elevator-like contraption with more than enough room to hold its eight passengers. The panel on the wall which directed the movement of the elevator was not a series of buttons but rather a cross-section diagram of the entire palace. To visit a certain floor of the castle, Proditor merely had to touch a certain section of the diagram, and the elevator moved accordingly. During the tour, Chloe made the mistake of calling the sub-ground floors "subterranean." She was corrected: since "terra" meant "earth", the correct term was "subdagulean."

The first two floors below the surface housed several lavish meeting centers. Floor Sub-1 housed an enormous ballroom that was currently being prepared for the coronation ceremony to occur the next day. The floors below the entertainment levels housed bedrooms, the size of the rooms decreasing with each subsequent level. Below these were floors serving a multitude of purposes: arts auditoriums, battling arenas, artisan workshops, kitchens, storage warehouses, and libraries. The bottommost floors were under construction, being worked on tirelessly by a different race of aliens from the Kenaki. These aliens were much smaller, three to four feet in height, with scaly skin in a variety of earth tones, slightly beaky mouths, and wing-like arms. Chloe and Lois quickly expressed worries about slave labor, but their doubts were quickly rebuked. The workers they witnessed belonged to a sub-sentient race which had no comprehension of freedom, though enough intelligence for skilled labor, and were well-treated for their efforts.

Lana noticed one of the workers falling over in pain, clutching his neck. Proditor explained that the servants wore collars around their necks. Their necks are very sensitive, and when working, their bodies swell, which can be painful. He further stated that even though the Kenaki would allow them to remove them, they refused, because of cultural tradition. "It's almost like a sort of corporeal mortification, I'm afraid."

"That's sick." Lois commented.

Proditor replied calmly. "I noticed that you have stuck decorative metal pins through the lobes of your ears, Miss Lowzlane."

The Kenaki guides were very astute and quickly noted that the champions were tiring, so they directed the elevator to rise toward the housing floors.

Lex, Lana, and Beipanzhe were dropped off on Floor Sub-4, the lower of two nearly identical luxury dormitory levels. The rest were escorted to second, Floor Sub-3, by Proditor.

Lois was the first to be shown to her room. As Proditor opened the large double doors, the four champions' mouths dropped. The room was far more magnificent than any of them had ever laid eyes on. Purple curtains hung against the fifteen-foot high walls; lush, soft-as-rabbit-fur carpets covered the floor; dozens of sticks of incense filled the room with sweet-smelling smoke. And the crowning feature of the room was the bed, which was twice as large as a king-sized and covered in a sheer canopy. Lois gained a wide smile that didn't diminish even as the others were escorted away, especially as she approached what seemed to be a wagon-sized covered tray of food.

Pete was shown to a similarly-sized room. It was Spartan compared to the décor of Lois's room. The bed was large but simple, and the walls were covered in weaponry of all kinds. Pete became particularly distracted by a rather large broadsword, and he barely noticed Chloe's good-night as Proditor escorted her and Clark away.

Proditor led Chloe and Clark to another room which was larger than Lois's or Pete's room and decorated for what seemed to be a king _and_ a queen. The color scheme was a mix of red and blues. Large pieces of furniture filled the room: a towering wardrobe, a comfy-looking couch, and a large, double-king bed with a mattress so thick that the entire bed was lowered two feet into the floor. It soon became apparently to Clark and Chloe that this room for two was obviously designated for the both of them. Proditor bowed and wished them well.

"I can take the couch," Clark immediately offered as their host closed the door behind him. In truth, it would have been no inconvenience as the couch could easily dwarf his frame and was apparently cushioned as much as the bed.

"Clark, that bed takes up two time zones. I see plenty of pillows if you're so prudish that you want to build a wall between us."

"Chloe…"

"I'm not kidding, Clark. This bed is too big—not to mention wondrously comfy-looking—for you to sleep on that dinky little sofa." As Clark nodded in defeat, her stomach grumbled, and he suggested they see what was waiting for them underneath the giant covered trays. It turned out, gratefully, to be food… and a lot of it. Proditor had told them that the chefs had prepared a number of Earth cuisines, though he also mentioned that it'd been a while since they'd prepared Earth food, and the chefs were a little unsure of quantity and method of preparation.

Clark and Chloe immediately threw out the uncooked steaks, not wanting to know where the chefs managed to find cows on a desert planet. Most of the fruit was edible and delicious, with the exception of the overripe bananas. To Chloe's sorrow, none of the included metal thermoses contained coffee, but one did include decently chilled if slightly flat Coca-Cola or its extraterrestrial equivalent. She tried not to bat an eye as Clark apparently drank what had to be half a gallon of chilled milk. After disposing of a basketball-sized blob of half-cooked bread dough, Chloe located a decently cooked chicken leg underneath. At least it tasted like chicken. It was the largest chicken leg Chloe had ever come by. It took a little bit off prodding, but Chloe did convince Clark to open the wine bottle that was included with his meal. It took two swigs for Chloe to remember that Clark's alien physiology broke down alcohol immediately, so she thought it best to recork the bottle. The chefs obviously didn't understand that vegetables could be cooked, so Clark and Chloe ended up gnawing on the only edible ones: raw carrots. The chefs did however know how to bake a delectable chocolate cake. Chloe stole a few bites of Clark's oversized piece, knowing full well that given his alien super-senses, he was letting her. In return she let him have a few gulps of her milk.

After the hodge-podge meal, Chloe's eye began to droop. She instinctively looked at the watch that had been absent from her wrist for the last twelve hours, instead finding the silver bracelet. Sliding off the bed, she went to open the wardrobe.

"Chloe?" Clark stated to inquire about her actions.

"I'm about to fall over, Clark. I'd like to go to bed. And I'd rather not sleep in this." After tugging with quite some force on the door's knob, she turned to Clark, "Mind opening this? It doesn't seem to be designed for us mere mortals."

Clark slid off the bed and grabbed the other handle and easily pulled it open, without super-strength. "They're fit-together doors. I noticed it with my X-ray vision."

Peering into the now open wardrobe, she prodded, "And you didn't happen to notice that there were any _clothes_ in the wardrobe?" She moved to open the outside doors. Looking left and right down the hallways, she called, "Uh, anybody there?"

Within seconds, Proditor appeared from around the corner. "Yes, madam?"

"Wow, that was quick. Uh, the… mister and I would like to go to sleep. May we have something to wear to bed?"

Proditor's face immediately showed great distress. "My most sincere apologies. I assumed you'd be sleeping without garments." He rushed in, closed the wardrobe door, pressed some invisible button in the wardrobe's woodwork, and reopened the doors to reveal a wide variety of hanging garments.

"Madam, how much covering will you require? Will from the waist down be sufficient?"

As Clark's face turned a fiery red, Chloe quickly responded, "No, definitely more or less what's being covered right now."

Proditor nodded and pulled out a periwinkle two-piece set consisting of some small shorts and a tank top. The material appeared sheer, but Chloe could tell it was opaque. Wishing to end the ordeal as quickly as possible—the more comfortable Clark and Chloe appeared around each other, the better—she consented to the outfit.

"And, you, sir? Bifurcated or unbifurcated?" Clark's only response was a confused stare. Proditor nodded. "I apologize. For your lower garment, would you prefer something like your wearing now or something with double-legging?"

"Double legging is good."

Proditor handed Clark a pair of pants and a sleeveless shirt made of a similar blue fabric. "Will that be all?"

"Yes," Clark and Chloe replied in unison. Proditor bowed and exited with an air of satisfaction.

"Clark," Chloe started, toying with her braids, "would you mind seeing if you can get these bands out of my hair?"

Clark nodded as he approached Chloe. With one hand, he tightly gripped the braid above the band, and with the other, flicked it. The band glided across the room and Clark's super-strength prevented the action from pulling on her hair. As he repeated the process with the other band, Chloe tried to divert her eyes in a direction so not to look at Clark's chest, but found her field of vision fairly filled by his broad torso. As Chloe shook out her hair, Clark changed in the blink of an eye. Chloe looked up just in time for Clark to finish pulling down the fitting muscle shirt-like garment, only to watch the seams pop and the shirt flutter to the ground in tatters. Chloe pulled her eyes away from the defined edges of Clark's chest and mechanically walked toward the bed to begin the process of building a pillow wall down the center of the bed, trying to keep her breath even.

After surveying her creation, she turned to face Clark. "So, you think you can look away while I'm indecent?" Chloe asked rhetorically, not looking away from the pillow wall.

Clark dutifully faced the other direction. Clearing her throat, Chloe asked, "So, just checking, but one of your alien powers isn't eyes in the back of your head, right?"

"Well, I suppose between my telescopic vision and my X-ray vision, I might be able to look through the curve of space and see around."

Chloe held the tank top to her chest. " Clark…" she mumbled.

"I'm kidding, Chloe. I am definitely seeing nothing but this remarkably interesting red couch."

"Okay, I'm PG-rated again." Clark turned around, relieved. He then caught sight of Chloe in shorts that only covered about two inches of her thighs and a stringy tank top that, though showing only minor cleavage and maybe an inch of midriff, clung to her figure like a glove. Seeing Clark's expression, she added, "Okay, maybe PG-13." A queasy look appeared on Clark's face and he spun around holding his hands to his fact. " Clark, are you okay?"

Clark spun around again, holding his hands behind his back. "I'm fine. That had nothing to do with you." Chloe's internal lie detector went off, which set off her journalistic perceptiveness, which pick up on something that lifted her spirits immensely. Clark's palms were glowing red hot. She unsuccessfully hid a proud smile and readjusted her top, finding there was a direct relation between how much midriff the top covered and how much chest.

"C'mon, Kent, I'm about to collapse." She hopped into her side of the bed. Because of the wall, she'd divided up the numerous sheets and blankets, suspecting that her friend might be a sheet hog.

As Chloe drifted off to sleep, several sounds filled her ears. The first was the crackle of Clark's still-scalding hands ruining his pillow. The second was Clark take a deep breath to blow off his hands. The third was the sound of him grabbing another pillow from the make-shift barrier.

- - -

The walls were smooth and white, but decorated by dozens of Native American cave wall drawings. The central one was of a blue two-headed creature; one of the heads was boxy but human; the other resembled a snake or a dragon. To each side of the figure was the figure of a woman: on the left, a circle-headed woman wearing a necklace; to the right, a square-headed woman wearing a bracelet. Below the two-headed figure was a warrior figure with armor. As Lex looked back and forth along the extensive wall, he admired the images, all of them reminiscent of the Kawatche cave drawings in Smallville; some of them he even recognized. Some of the groups of pictures told stories, but Lex found many of them undecipherable. Also, the familiar alien language hovered near certain images. Try as he might to stay awake, Lex felt exhausted, so he made his way to the large, silver four-poster bed in the center of his room and slid under the already taken-down covers, bare-chested. As he made himself comfortable on the right side of the bed, the thick blankets soon covered any indication he was in bed.

* * *

A/N: You know, this always happens when I try to write a story that is only supposed to have a little Chlarkiness. More than I expect shows up, and it's often more blush-worthy than I knew I was capable of. 

(Sonriso) - By the way, that was quite a racy Chloe scene! Give me a second to fan myself off!

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Sunday, July 16, 2006. Finished Friday, July 21, 2006. Updated Thursday, August 31, 2006.


	4. Society

The Champions of Kal-El: Society  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: The Kenaki people show the Champions about their true destinies.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5, up to perhaps Void.

A/N: Okay, this story is really fleshing out more than I thought it would, which is good, I suppose. I hope you're enjoying all aspects of this story, because this is really growing into something new for me. I hope that the delay between this chapter and the last one wasn't too long, but understand I have to balance my time between this and a 9-to-5 now.

Anyway, enough of my personal thoughts that probably only make sense to me. Read what you came for: the story below.

* * *

Chapter 4: Society

Chloe knocked on the door to her cousin's room. The only response was a garbled "Come in," or at least something that sounded like it. Chloe, dressed in her costume from the day before, sans the odious braids, entered to find Lois's head sticking out off the corner of the bed, the rest of her body covered by the thick comforter. The bed itself emitted a humming noise and appeared to be vibrating very quickly.

"Uh, Lois, you okay?"

Lois turned her head up and gave her cousin a joyful smile, "Cuz, I am _more_ than okay. I am in Heaven." She emitted a breathy sigh, briefly turning transparent. "I don't care how much this thing costs, I am getting one, because after one of these babies, you will never need a man again. Wanna try it out?" Lois reappeared.

Terror was the only word that could describe the look on Chloe's face. "No, Lois, that's wrong on like fourteen levels. I'm already picking you up on the radar."

Lois laughed and turned on her side to turn off the bed. Unable to reach, she ended up rolling onto her back. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, retracting her arm, looking a tad sick by the new sensation. Moments later, though, the smile and invisibility returned. With a chuckle, she commented to her cousin, "Didn't think I was that type of girl."

Shaking her head, Chloe pleaded, "Tell me you're not naked." She already knew the answer.

"There was nothing to wear. My wardrobe was empty." Lois's reply was almost innocent, until she added, "Plus, it's a private room, who's gonna care?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe tapped on the front of the wardrobe like Proditor had done, opened the right door, and threw Lois a bathrobe.

Lois's disembodied voice came from the bed, "Party pooper. So, how were the other rooms?" The sheets on the bed flattened down and the bathrobe floated in the air before being wrapped around Lois's invisible body.

"Well, Pete's was kinda minimalist. Had a bunch of weapons, so he seemed pretty intrigued. Mine and Clark's room was…" She stopped short, but too late.

Tying the bathrobe, Lois reappeared quickly. "Yours _and_ Clark's _room_! 'Room' as in singular!"

Chloe returned to the door and closed it all the way, a tad amused that Lois had not insisted on it long before. She whispered, "Of course. We're supposed to be married, remember?"

"And… in the same _bed_?" Lois's voice was getting higher by the minute. Her body, too, as she inadvertently rose two feet off the ground.

"We built a wall of pillows between us!"

Testily, Lois questioned, "And was that wall there this morning?"

"I'm beginning to think _you're_ psychic now. No," she admitted, "turns out Clark's a pretty restless sleeper."

Lois's voice returned to normal as she asked with simple curiosity, "He keep you up?" She then had a dirty thought which she decided to keep to herself. Chloe scowled at her, and Lois realized that she _hadn't_ kept it to herself.

"No," Chloe replied, answering her question, "our bed was made with some kind of heavy liquid that displaces inertia." She smiled lithely, "In fact, funny story: this morning Clark leapt onto the bed, hard, and I thought it was going to shoot me through the roof. No, just a slow, soft ripple."

Sarcastically, Lois replied, "Hilarious story. Wish I had a video of it. Could make a lot of money off it on the Internet."

"Lois!"

"What? It's not like I can keep these thoughts to myself, seeing that my mind's not private."

Chloe softened her voice, "Lois, I can't read your thoughts. But I pick up any emotions you have like a satellite dish. I know you pretty well. It's not that hard to infer what you're thinking."

Fading a bit, Lois said, "Sorry, Chlo." After a short, comfortable silence, Lois asked, "There's no way you slept _au naturale_. What'd you wear?"

Chloe was silent.

- - -

"You could bounce a sandbag off of it!" Pete exclaimed with exasperation. He, Chloe, Clark, and Lois were being led around by Beipanzhe to some of the multipurpose rooms.

Clark patted his shoulder. "Didn't sleep well then?"

"Actually, best sleep I've gotten in while. Maybe I'll invest in a firmer mattress after all. How'd you sleep?"

Clark's response was brief. "Good."

"Well, when you have a big nice bed all to yourself, how can you not?" A look of panic appeared on his three friends' faces. Beipanzhe looked around, perplexed. Pete immediately added, with a convincing fake laugh, "Heh, newlyweds. Seems like just yesterday my man Clark here was still a bachelor." He exchanged glances with Clark. When Beipanzhe's head turn back around, Pete whispered so softly he himself couldn't hear the sound. "Are you kidding me?" Chloe was quick to note that she didn't feel even a twinge of jealousy in Pete's aura.

Beipanzhe spoke without turning around, "The young lady we sent to your room was very disappointed."

Three heads turned quickly and almost in unison toward Pete. Pete replied to Beipanzhe alone, "It was very kind of you, but I actually have someone back home." Clark gave him an interested look. "What? There's a lot of cute girls at Washburn. I'll tell you about her later."

Lois turned her head and mumbled under her voice, "How come I didn't get that treatment?" When she looked ahead, she noted Chloe and Clark both looking at her. She chided herself for forgetting about Chloe's empathy and Clark's enhanced senses.

"Whoa." Pete's comment was breathy and awed. He was looking through a window which showed a large, two-story fighting arena. Circular, bleach-white walls under harsh white lights were covered in weapons of every sort.

Beipanzhe nodded. "We figured you'd be interested in the battling arenas, Peetros. That is why we had a Pylean Groosalugg shipped in for you to spar with."

Pete visibly paled as they made their way to the battling arena. He nervously rubbed the edges of a dagger he was holding, which caused him no harm due to the impenetrable gloves he was wearing. A large metal box was brought into the room, holding what the Kenaki had called the "Groosalugg," which given Pete's luck, would be _more_ terrible than it sounded. He held his breath as the six-foot-cubed box was opened and out stepped the creature.

- - -

Lex read through some manuscripts in what Proditor called the Archives Room. On one side of the page were the Kawatche cave petroglyphs; on the other, English.

"And you're sure of these translations?" His fingers lightly brushed the page reverently.

"Well, these glyphs are very reminiscent of the Kryptonian language. We did have some records for comparison, but they were outdated. And you can imagine, over time the separation would cause the dialect to evolve into variants. However, we did attempt to translate them, using the cave wall paintings as a guide and a little of what you Terrans call 'elbow grease,' I believe. We are intellectual race, Your Greatness; what you see there is the most logical interpretation."

"No, I agree. I subscribe to that type of intellectualism myself." Lex looked up from the parchment to examine the room. "This is a large room."

"Not all of it pertains to the Champions of Kal-El. But, if you're interested in the Kryptonian race, this book might interest you. We translated it ourselves into your tongue."

Lex smiled as he scanned the digital page. "Well, this type of English went out of fashion about two hundred years ago, but I've done enough document study that I think I'll be okay." His face dropped after about thirty seconds of reading.

- - -

The Groosalugg looked human. His eyes were an eerie solid black, but besides that, he looked like a very normal—and attractive—twenty-something human man. His height was about six foot with a soldier's physique. His hair was raven black and long to his shoulders. He wore very simple animal skin boots, a loincloth, and a dull breastplate. Chloe moved on the other side of Clark to distance herself from Lois's sweltering emotions.

"Well, Peetros," Beipanzhe stated, "are you prepared to fight the Groosalugg? We think he might just be a challenge for you. If you have not heard about him, let me tell you a little about where he comes from. His planet is full of murderous beasts that kill humans for sport. Because of his looks, he has been ostrasized by his people. In an effort to kill himself, he entered in various tournaments of death. But he was unsuccessful; he bested every creature that dared challenge the Cursed One. He now comes to challenge you." The Groosalugg looked stoic throughout the ordeal.

Pete grabbed a large broadsword from the wall and promptly dropped it because of its weight. He then reached for a gold-hilted saber and a small, light dagger. "Ready." As she studied Pete, Chloe found herself reminded of a scene from a movie she had seen once. In it, the main character was approaching a guillotine.

Without a word, the Groosalugg grabbed a heavy battleaxe with one hand and swung it skillfully. Pete quickly returned the attack, charging and swinging the saber. The Groosalugg was fast and effortlessly dodged Pete's attack, hitting him with the butt of the axe as he passed. Pete spun around quickly, swinging the blade, which was easily deflected by the Groosalugg, but Pete was quick, too, stabbing with the dagger. The Groosalugg was forced to turn quickly so the blade would be deflected by his breastplate. In this, he lost sure footing, and a feigned swing by Pete caused him to fall on his back. Pete swung the saber hard, but the Groosalugg was ready, deflecting it with his axe, causing the saber to go flying. Pete made the mistake of watching the blade fly, and the Groosalugg launched himself from the ground onto his feet with superhuman agility and swung his axe at Pete. Pete was able to use the dagger to deflect the axe from hitting his shoulder, but the weak weapon would not suffice for long, so mid-spin Pete caught the saber seconds from hitting the ground, and without missing a beat swung at the neck of the Groosalugg's axe. The Groosalugg, unprepared for the attack, watched as his arm forced back. Pete swung again, but his opponent grabbed his wrist with his strong arm. The Groosalugg then kicked Pete at his center of mass, sending him backwards into the wall. Pete didn't have time to recover as the Groosalugg pinned him to the wall. Pete's skill was no match for the Groosalugg's strength.

Clark took a step forward, but found Lois's hand holding him back.

"It's okay, Smallville, I think I may go a round with the rugged beast." She grabbed a spear from the wall and walked towards the struggling men with intention. Chloe didn't say a word as she noted that it was a different type of feistiness that drew Lois into the skirmish.

Beipanzhe looked on in awe, and commented to Clark and Chloe, "Not only is she extremely wise, but also a warrior! What an incredible choice for Myora's successor! Kal-El must have great respect for this Lowzlane."

Chloe tried to suppress the powerful grin that threatened to conquer her face. Grabbing Clark's arm in a mock-romantic gesture, she replied, "Oh, yes, we as well as Kal-El have no doubts about the wisdom that Lois possesses. We are constantly in awe of it." To his credit, Clark's eyes didn't roll out of his head.

Lois's first attack was a sharp poke to the base of the Groosalugg's spine with the butt of the spear. Forced to release one hand, the Groosalugg swung his fist towards Lois, whose natural reflexes kept her away from the path. At Pete's free arm grabbed a small battleaxe from the wall, the Groosalugg defended himself by launching Pete into the air, where he was quickly caught and set back down by the airborne Lois, who wasted no time kicking the Groosalugg square in the chest, making him mimic Pete's earlier actions. Like a cat, the Groosalugg lunged forward, but Lois faded from sight as she ascended into the air. The Groosalugg searched around, but was thrown back by an invisible force. Pete charged him, but he took a large sword and swung it in a high arc to hinder Pete's progress, closing his eyes while he did. Suddenly he leapt backwards onto the wall and propelled himself into the air, grabbing with intention, and pulling a reappearing Lois to the ground by her ankle, just in time to defend himself from Pete's next attack with Lois's spear.

Clark and Chloe, who had been watching in awe, began to examine the room after realizing the battle would go on for a very long time. Clark looked through the window into the adjoining room, where the walls were stained with small amounts of blood and dirt, and weapons of all sorts, some of them sullied or broken, were strewn across the floor. "What happened in there?" Chloe looked in as well.

"Your friend, Lek-Sluthore, wished to exercise his skills this morning. The Groosalugg had not yet arrived, so we set him loose with several wild beasts from the nearby quadrant. He was unstoppable. Much like Sageeth, he never seemed to tire or grow weary. I have never seen such slaying!"

Clark and Chloe responded by swallowing uncomfortably in unison and plastering on smiles. But Pete's pained gasps woke them from their thoughts. In his hand, the Groosalugg held the large sword that Pete had earlier attempted to raise. It was covered in blood and there was a large gash down Pete's side where the sword had gotten under an untucked section of Pete's invulnerable tunic. Pete himself sat against the wall, holding his bloody wound, and gasping for air.

- - -

Try as she might, Lana couldn't move or speak, her jaw slack. The room was enormous: twenty feet tall, thirty feet wide, and must have been at least three hundred feet long. And it was filled top to bottom with clothes: two racks stacked on top of each other, along the wall and down two aisles. Thousands of dresses of every kind, some bizarre and no doubt extraterrestrial, and some which were not meant for a creature resembling Lana is the slightest, all were all hanging on the racks on invisible hangers.

The Kenaki women looked much like the men, but had the same physical characteristics that separated the human genders. They were not as tall as Proditor or Beipanzhe, but still towered above the petite Lana, and they had rounded hips and softer faces.

"Milady." The voice awakened Lana from her reverie. Inadu, a handmaiden that had been trailing Lana since this morning, smiled. "Do you see anything you like?"

Nearly speechless, she replied, "I'm hard-pressed to find something I don't. My lord, this place is amazing." Taking a few steps towards the middle rack, she reached in and pulled out a large slinky gown. Lana surveyed the dressed, noticing it was for a seven-foot creature with no arms.

"Milady Lanalang, if you see a style you like but isn't made for your species, we would be happy to adapt it. Just give us some lead time before the coronation."

"Thank you," Lana said vacantly as she surveyed the dress. "Why do you call me 'milady'?"

Inadu smiled warmly, "Rayen was a woman of royalty. As Kal-El deemed you worthy of her title, it is your privilege to be given the same respect as she. Perhaps I could tell you of Rayen's history? It's come to my attention that your party was sent here with some unnecessary haste, and haven't been fully introduced to your roles."

"Yes, maybe a little later…" Lana mumbled, as she examined a silky black and white skirt. It was made for a taller creature, a Kenaki woman perhaps. "I like this. Would it be possible for this skirt to be… adapted for me for tonight?"

"Of course. It is a magnificent choice and most appropriate might I add." The handmaiden of sorts handed it to one of the squat worker beings, who took it out of the room. "You seem to have a high appreciation for fashion, Madame?"

"It's kind of a guilty pleasure, I guess. You wanted to tell me a story?"

"Yes…"

- - -

The profusely bleeding Pete rested in Chloe's arms. The hand of an enraged Clark held the Groosalugg against the wall by his neck. The shattered battleaxe lay on the floor as a testament of the warrior's attempt to free himself from Clark's hard-as-steel arm. Despite his position, the Groosalugg stared stoically at Clark, masking his gasps for breath. A myriad of emotions played on Clark's face as he locked eyes with the Groosalugg. His animalistic fury was being challenged by his fear of Pete's failing health, and his own morality testing his desire to seek vengeance against the Groosalugg. Clark felt almost displaced as his own hand, his hand with immeasurable strength, was wrapped around the neck of a very human-like being. For a moment, all was silent in the room.

Chloe's pleading face invaded Clark's field of vision during his stare-down with the alien fighter. So close did she stand to Clark that he could easily feel the warmth of her skin. "Clark, no…" The mere sound of her voice caused Clark's face and heart to clench. Chloe reached up and grabbed tightly onto Clark's forearm near the wrist. "It's okay." The hand around the Groosalugg's neck loosened and the Groosalugg fell to the ground, landing gracefully on his feet.

Clark stumbled backwards, falling to his knees unstably as he considered his actions. When he looked up again, Chloe's hand still clutched his arm very tightly, holding his tightly fisted hand against the crook of her shoulder. "But… Pete…" were the only words Clark could muster.

Chloe appeared to have a headache. "Look…" she spoke softly but swiftly, motioning towards the other side of the room. The grimacing Pete, bare-chested, was lying on the floor as Beipanzhe appeared to be drying the blood off Pete, revealing a large piece of clear tape laid across Pete's wound. The panting Clark watched as the wound slowly closed itself. Lois stood by him, her hand on his shoulder as she coached him through the pain.

Chloe, feeling Clark's erratic emotions subside, left to check on Pete. Clark turned to the Groosalugg, who massaged his bruised neck.

"Groosalugg," he began, not knowing any other way to address him, "I'd like to apologize. Do you understand English?"

The Groosalugg looked up and smiled. Similar to the Kenaki, his unusual intonation and rhythm, gave his voice a regal tone. "My people had an inefficient grunting language before we started to collect cows. We have somewhat adapted to their more advance language, yes."

Confused about the cow comment, Clark replied, "I'm sorry for this. Pete's my friend and… I just lost it. No hard feelings?" He extended his hand, which the Groosalugg eyed curiously.

"My people are a combative type, quick to draw their swords. We measure our heroes by the number of creatures they slay." Clark took a step backwards. "It's ghastly. But you, for your friend, Peetross, you were quick to defend him. You approached without caution a feared warrior like me. It appears you needed not worry." He added this last part in a lighter tone of voice as he rubbed his neck and eyed the steel blade that had shattered like glass upon contact with Clark forearm. "This kind of loyalty is unheard of on my planet. For that, I have the utmost respect for you, Clarkent, bearer of the epithet of Naman."

Clark laughed. "My friends actually just call me 'Clark.'"

"Is it your desire that I do so as well?"

"I wish you would. What do your friends call you?"

The Groosalugg replied quickly, "I have none. I am an outcast to my people. Any other beings I meet I am facing in combat. Perhaps these hypothetical friends, they would call me 'Groo.'"

Clark suppressed a chuckle and he replied with sincerity, "You've got a friend, now, Groo. I'm sorry we didn't get off to the best of starts, but I'm pretty good at salvaging friendship out of those." Clark extended his hand again. Groo again surveyed the strange gesture and reciprocated by extending his arm and holding it in the air a foot from Clark's outstretched hand.

"You are a great man, Clark. If the legends about Naman are true, you are indeed worthy of his epithet." Having a mild distaste for praise, Clark just blushed. Surveying Chloe, Groo added with weight in his voice, "As is your wife. If she bears the spirit of Loral, then her powers are of the mind and of the heart only. It took great courage to place herself in the path of your anger. How lucky you must feel, Clark."

Clark examined Chloe, who was helping Pete get to his feet. "I do." She looked over, seeing and feeling the animosity and tension between Clark and the Groosalugg melting away, being replaced by an amicable respect. _Only Clark_, she thought. Clark was watching her, so she met his glance. His expression was somewhat like that of a drowning man being pulled into a boat and looking into the eyes of his savior.

Lois grabbed her cousin's shoulder, "You know, girl, ever since he got zapped by the voice in the cave, he's been pulling some pretty incredible feats of power. That wasn't too smart of you getting in front of him while he was Hulking out."

"Clark would never hurt me. But there's something wrong. His emotions were really strong. Painful-to-me strong. It was like he was on something."

"We're all strangers in a strange land here. I wouldn't be surprised to find all of our left brains running on high."

But the conversation was brief, as Lois made her way over to Groo. Cornering him against the wall, she flatly asked, "Did you know that they had that magical medical tape?"

"Of course, milady. An advanced society like those on Dagula-Inagehi would have only the best medical supplies. This is a practice arena for people who don't want to die or see death. You do not bring in the Groosalugg to kill someone unless there is a paying audience. And with a brave warrior as he who bears the name of the Most Loyal Dayak, I would never…"

Lois smiled sweetly and held up her hand to silence him. "Ready to go for another nine rounds?"

"If you think you can take me for that long, Lowzlane."

"Famous last words, handsome." And then she faded from sight.

- - -

Chloe stood in her Kawatche dress in what appeared to be a lavish dressing room. Several Kenaki servants, as well as a few of the short worker creatures, were bustling around Chloe, holding strange fabrics and other indescribable artifacts. One such servant, who seemed female, approached Chloe from behind. "Your Majesty, I am Alitama. We have your gown prepared for this evening's coronation."

"Thank you," Chloe responded, just to say something. She waned to tell the handmaiden she could leave it on the bed so that she could try it on when the long arms of Alitama reached around and began to grab at unseen fasteners, which to her shock, caused her dress to fall off. Before she had time to react, or blush even, a blue formless sheet was placed over her head. The fabric was a bright sky blue, lighter and thinner than silk, almost like a cloth tissue paper. As her head slid through a hole in the center of the sheet, Chloe watched as the previously rectangular sheet, as it glided across her skin, started to form a dress. While it didn't cling to her body, it floated closely above her skin like an aura, anticipating each curve. While the material, much like her night clothes, was opaque, it tended to show her silhouette in even the lowest light. It was ill-fitting, though, and several handmaidens crowded around Chloe to pinch and pull at the elastic fabric, making it infinitely more comfortable.

She was given two slipper-like shoes, the same color as her dress. As Chloe stood on them, she felt them bend to the shape of her foot, and then push up on her foot until they raised her heels and the arches of her feet just enough so that she couldn't help but have perfect posture. As she took a few small steps, feeling constricted by the close-fitting garment, it seemed that the fabric of the skirt stretched out to accommodate her movement. After a few steps, the sensation disappeared as the skirt had been extended to the necessary fullness.

The handmaiden spoke, "I hope you like it."

"Oh, it's beautiful," was all Chloe could say, amazed that the previously unadorned garment now had intricate patterns woven through it. In addition, the edges of the fabric had developed decorative fringes. The neckline was pointed and was open to the base of her sternum, far too low for Chloe's taste, so she pinched the fabric five inches down from her collarbone. The fabric bonded to itself, making the dress more modest.

"Sorry we don't have your crown for you, Your Majesty. But you know men. They have to have a show. You will get it tonight at the ceremony."

"Yes, thank you. And, if I may ask, Alitama, why you assume I'm… well, a Queen?"

"Chieftess? Don't worry, Your Majesty, we have studied the Kawatche culture. You may use your native vocabulary." The handmaiden handed Chloe some oddly shaped metal ornaments, which she looked at curiously before another helper took them from her. One attached a belt, leaving it loose so that is would slide down to her hips, and then tightened it, causing her back to arch straight and pushing lightly on her diaphragm.

"I'm just getting used to it myself. Why, then, do you assume I'm Chieftess?"

"'Loral' refers to only two things, Your Majesty. It comes from the Kawatche word for… on your planet, the creature is called a 'lion.' It is the animal of courage and fierceness. Naman gave that title to his mate, because though she was beautiful, she was also one of the fiercest lady warriors in the tribe. Before Naman, it was a title given only to males, for the warrior in the tribe that defended the chief with his life. Naman chose Dayak to take that positions. When a Kawatche woman bears the epithet 'Loral,' she can be _only_ the wife of Naman. It also refers to the champion who takes on the name of Naman's mate as a sign to the actual Loral that her husband would be returned. Being of stout heart, you obviously forwent that right. We would have known that you were not the true champions if you were not male and were not the mate of Loral." Alitama seemed very proud of her knowledge. Chloe sensed no suspicion, but truthfully the Kenaki seemed a lot harder to read than her human companions.

Chloe swallowed hard. "Wow, you know the stories better than some of the… younglings." She felt not unlike she had forgotten to do the required reading in one of her classes.

Another handmaiden placed a silver choker necklace on Chloe, which was made of tiny, thread-thin links. A red pendant hung off it, and as the jewel rested on her breastbone, it began to glow, brightening and fading. Chloe soon realized that it was in tempo with her heartbeat. Using a scathe-like instrument, a handmaiden trimmed her hair to collarbone length and sprayed it with some sort of chemical. Chloe figured it was a type of hair spray, but as she moved her head, her hair seemed to move unhindered, though she realized its function when a lock of hair that she pushed out of her eye stubbornly returned to place. Luckily, one of the servants started placing what seemed to be clear plastic hair pins in her hair, which immediately fell out, but left the locks of hair in place.

One of the handmaidens—Chloe was having trouble keeping track of the host of servants in her room who seemed to resembled each other more than humans did—handed Chloe a formed silver wire. At first, Chloe was unsure what to do with the artifact, but the handmaiden grasped Chloe's right hand and placed the circular bends of the wire through Chloe's first two fingers. At first, the long ends of the wire lay awkwardly against either side of her forearm, but they then began to curl from what seemed to be the heat of her skin. The much longer inside end started to snake around her wrist and forearm while the outside end rolled up into a spiral, coming to rest against the back of her palm. After watching the magical transformation, Chloe wiggled her fingers and found that the bracelet did not hinder the motion of her hand at all. The familiar turquoise bracelet is replaced on her other wrist with some degree of formality.

Alitama smiled at her, saying, "I hope you are prepared for tonight. It promises to be quite an event!"

* * *

A/N: Wow, I really hate to leave it there, especially given how I've slowed down the pace. This probably means you'll be waiting a long time for me to conclude this. It might be agonizing. I sincerely apologize and no, that is not an evil smirk on my face. 

(Sonriso) - Lies. And, Creedog, do you really have to make Chloe so hot in these stories? I mean, really? _I'm_ about to develop heat vision!

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Friday, July 21, 2006. Finished Wednesday, August 9, 2006. Updated Saturday, September 2, 2006.


	5. Legend

The Champions of Kal-El: Legend  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: The Legend of Naman and the coronation ceremony  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5, up to perhaps Void.

A/N: I know the wait has been painful. I promise I have been working, but the words have not been flowing as easily. But do not fear. I refuse to give up.

I hope I'm not on the slippery slope to becoming a review whore, but I'd like to add that feedback is always welcome. I steel myself for critique before I read, so feel free to lay it on. This story has been guided in some ways by the reviews I've already gotten. You voice is heard.

Why are you still reading this? The story is _below_ the horizontal line.

* * *

Chapter 5: Legend

It was a very exciting event for the Koga when he came down in a rain of fire dressed in a giant snowflake made of a smooth, shiny, gray stone that none of the Koga people had ever seen. But the Koga were friendly people, naming themselves after the black birds that inhabited their grassy plains, and they welcomed the light-skinned stranger warmly. He claimed his name was Kalel, and that he was prince. He spoke their language, but badly, claiming to have learned it from one of the other tribes of the stars. He was very clever, though, and quickly picked up the dialect. He demonstrated incredible powers, and Myora, the shaman of the tribe, claimed he was the reincarnation of Naman, the prince-god of the stars. Kalel had the strength of ten men; he could move with the speed of the wind; and he could shoot fire from his eyes. He claimed that the Sun god gave him these powers. And he liked the name Naman so much that he took it as his epithet, which was a common practice of the Koga.

Now this strange visitor, despite his physical differences from the rest of the tribe—his greater-than-average height, his light skin, and his striking water-colored eyes—was very attractive to the young women of the tribe, especially the two daughters of Wehali, the chief of the tribe. The elder, Saasa, who named after the swan goddess, was very beautiful, and was already sought by the mightiest warriors of the Koga tribe as well as many young men from the surrounding tribes. Wehali's younger daughter, Walelu, who named after the hummingbird god, was also very beautiful, but had very peculiar habits. She participated in the war games with the boys; she insisted on helping to decorate of the holy sites with the elders, and enjoyed meditating with Myora. There was no aspect of tribal life she did not wish to learn about, and she was known to shirk her womanly duties at times.

Acting as a diplomat to his people, Kalel quickly befriended both daughers, though it soon became obviously that he was falling in love with Saasa. As Saasa would soon complete her seventeenth spring, making her eligible for marriage, the time had come for her to choose a suitor. Her husband would have the honor of being trained by Wehali and the elders of the tribe to become the next chief of the Koga. Kalel expressed an interest in Saasa's hand. Myora sensed such a marriage would bring exciting new changes for the tribe, so Wehali eagerly invited Kalel to compete for Saasa's hand, though he presented no favoritism for the visitor. Saasa, finding many of her suitors sufficiently wise, decided she wanted to hold a sparring tournament, as the strongest fighter would be most capable of defending the tribe.

Kalel believed strongly in fairness, and because of his powers, he feared he would be invincible or that he might cause undue harm to the warriors if he were to participate in the tournament. He gladly agreed to allow the green stones that he brought with him to be placed around the circle. The stones were a new fuel source from Kalel's home in the heavens, only found in a small pocket beneath the ground near what Kalel described as the Jeweled Mountains. While it allowed Kalel's magnificent ship to take him from the sky to the Kogas' homeland, they also seemed to excrete light which was poisonous to Kalel. Yet placed at the right distance, the green stone would only weaken his strength to the level of a normal warrior. It had no ill effects on the Koga, and Myora believed that this was because of its ethereal origins.

The entire tribe was excited about the coming tournament, except for one member. The night before the competition, Wehali found Walelu in her sleeping quarters, weeping.

Sitting at her side, he asked his daughter, "Young one, what wearies you?"

"Nothing, _Do-da_, it's just… I love Saasa, but I'm just tired of every man of any valor taking one look at her and asking for her hand."

"Is this about Naman?"

"It's about Kalel, it's about Tawodi, it's about them all! It's about my strange ways scaring all the men away."

"Walelu, you should know that our people accept everyone as they are. You know it gives me great pride that you wish to learn so much about our ways and our history. Someday, the right man will come for you. Peace, child, release this jealousy you have for your sister."

Walelu accepted the kiss her father placed upon her forehead and after he left, prayed before her spirit net, letting the threads capture all her envious thoughts.

The tournament produced no surprises. Kalel, well-trained in fighting styles, quickly defeated all opponents he came to face, and he was scheduled to face Tawodi, the tribe's greatest warrior and Saasa's preferred suitor, in the final round. The schedules of fighting had been organized by the clever Sageeth, who had formed a very strong friendship with Kalel, who he enjoyed calling by his epithet, Naman. In fact, Naman had entrusted Sageeth with a solemn mission. Naman knew that his omnipotence would produce the temptation to rule over the lands mercilessly, and were this to ever become a threat to the Koga, or any tribe, Sageeth was charged with using a knife made out of the green stone to stop him… at any cost. Sageeth agreed, saying he hoped it never came to that.

Though Sageeth was also a very talented warrior, his natural ability to resolve conflicts within and between tribes found him preventing battles more often than fighting in them. He was impressed by the powerful Naman, and had expressed great interest in having him marry Saasa, and planned the tournament so that Naman would defeat Tadowi in the final battle, hoping the victory would sway Saasa's heart to Naman without any doubts. However, Sageeth had not taken into account another talented foreigner. This warrior, Udelida as he called himself, had a very different style of attack that the Koga and their neighbors were not used to. Despite his smaller stature than both Naman and Tawodi and the traditional mask and costume he wore, he also proved worthy to fight in the last round.

The matches were fought within a circle of stones in an open field. Each warrior was armed with only a staff made from a young, flexible tree. The purpose of the weapon was not to cause undue harm, but rather to be used agilely to cause one's opponents to be forced to the ground or out of the ring, where they would be forced to yield from an indefensible position.

As the final round began, Naman began the round by fiercely attacking Tawodi, who was able to defend off Naman for quite awhile, though Naman quickly drove close to the edge of the ring. If not for Udelida's interference, Tawodi would have been forced to yield after only a few minutes. Udelida and Naman sparred for a while, when Naman, clearly taking the upper hand, took a strong swing intended to force Udelida onto his back, instead knocked off his mask, revealing the face of Walelu. As the mask fell outside the circle, Walelu did not retrieve it. Naman, like the entire crowd, was stunned by this revelation, but Walelu continued to fight unmasked and undeterred. Naman was slow to defend, losing the vigor he had once used. Even when a recovered Tawodi entered the fight, Naman easily held both of them off. Naman quickly changed the course of the fight, he again attacked Tawodi vigorously, but before claiming a yield, turned his attention to Walelu. Within moments, Naman held Walelu to the ground, and she was forced to yield.

"Why?" Naman asked, as his opponent lay on the ground.

"Because you only have eyes for her."

Naman pulled himself away to continue with Tawodi again, who after two near losses, was fighting with great aggression. Naman, instead of matching his forwardness, used swiftness to his advantage, and as Tawodi began to tire out, Naman stepped back. Tawodi raised his weapon into the air. Naman, standing with his pole to his side, clearly stated to the waiting Tawodi, "Yield."

For a second time, the crowd stood stunned. Naman walked up to the chief, whose faced showed the same perplexity as his people, and told him, "I can no longer fight for Saasa's hand. Though she is very fair, a new and greater desire has been awoken within me by Walelu's fierceness in battle." He turned to Saasa. "I am sorry to reject you, but I believe it would not be fair to you to take your hand when I have so much desire for you sister. Would you be happy with Tawodi?"

Saasa looked sad at the rejection, but with maturity replied, "Tawodi has courted me far longer than you have, Kalel. And I love my sister and believe she deserves a man as great as you. I approve."

Walelu walked up behind Naman. "Don't I get a say in this?"

Naman turned around to face Walelu. "I will gladly fight a tournament for your hand."

"Kalel, I have no other suitors for you to challenge. I'd rather you accompany me in my studies about the Koga people. Perhaps you could also teach me of your people?"

"I would like that very much."

"Naman," Wehali stated, "your integrity fills me with great pride. You would make an excellent chief."

"I could not claim that which is the right of Tawodi. I will be a chief to my own people one day."

Sageeth stepped up from the crowd. "I have an idea. Wehali, you have spoken to me much about the size of the tribe and how you fear we are growing too large for the land to support us. As I recall, we found another suitable area on the other side of the forest that was unfortunately no larger than our present grounds. Might I suggest that we split the tribe in two? Tawodi and Saasa shall lead this tribe and Naman and Walelu would lead the other."

"That is a fine suggestion, Sageeth. Naman, what do you think?"

"It would be my honor."

"Then you shall be bestowed the epithets of Wehali and Rayen?"

"No, I think not. It is Saasa's long-awaited privilege to bear the name of Rayen, after a beautiful bird, which does not fit Walelu. I propose that I keep my epithet of Naman and that Walelu take on the name of Loral, as your guardian has done. I have come to understand it represents the fierce animal that prowls this area." He looked at his beloved Walelu, and commented, "I can see no more fitting name."

"Then what shall your guardian be named?"

"Dayak has been a loyal friend and is a fierce warrior. He shall be my guardian, and his name shall be elevated to a title of protector for the next Naman."

Wehali smiled, "Then it shall be done. Myora was correct. Your presence has brought new and exciting changed to our tribe."

Myora stood, immediately commanding the attention of all the Koga, "I sense it is only the beginning."

- - -

Alitama, who had other preparations to attend to, simply directed Chloe down a long hallway. In addition to preparing her gown, the handmaidens had also made up Chloe's face. The eye shadow was a tad heavy for her taste, but she didn't think it was too indecent and apparently the handmaidens were copying some regal design, so she also didn't want to insult their magnanimity. Chloe did happen to like the shade of lipstick they had chosen: red so bright it actually brought color to her pale visage. She was a bit amused with, but not critical of, the bright blue lines that were drawn down her neck starting from her earlobes. Added to her outfit was a sheer red robe which hung off her shoulders, leaving her arms bear and flowing behind her as she walked. If Chloe had been able to see herself, she would have admired her newfound grace; she practically glided down the hallway with her head held high and back straight. In reality, she felt awkward; the unbalanced shoes kept her feet flat, causing her ankles to feel locked. In addition, she found herself pulling her shoulders up just to compensate for the heavy belt around her waist. But before long, the thoughts of her discomfort faded away as Clark came into view, patiently waiting before the door to the banquet hall ready to make his entrance into the banquet hall for the coronation ceremony.

Clark's outfit appeared to be made of a similar material as Chloe's dress. It seemed somewhat heavier, but it still clung in the same mysterious way. It was several shades darker than Chloe's, a dark blue that tended toward turquoise rather than navy blue. It was composed of dark slacks and an almost form-fitting collared tunic. He had a heavy silver belt that made Chloe's look dainty. Over his shoulders was a carmine cape extending over his shoulders and falling to his ankles.

"Hey, Chief," she called as she walked up behind him, the stories of Naman and Loral still fresh in her mind.

"Chloe, please," he replied, cracking a half-grin and facing her, "don't call me 'chief.'" His smile faded when he saw her. Chloe was happily able to interpret his speechlessness. As she looked over his outfit, she initially noted the rope neckerchief around his neck, held together by a silver slide bejeweled with a ruby. She then noticed that the outfit, like her own, clung very closely to his body, and it traced every ridge and bump of his superhuman physique. The relatively airy dress suddenly seemed a few degrees more stifling. When Clark turned to face the door again, Chloe slipped a finger in the point of her neckline, dragging the compliant material a few inches down then tugging beneath the underarms to widen the neckline a tad. Pleased with her handiwork, she slipped her arm into Clark, who grasped the wrist with his left hand, as Proditor had instructed him to do.

From behind the door, Proditor's deep voice boomed over a PA system, which accompanying echoes in various alien languages, "I present to you the Champions of Kal-El. Tonight, the spirits of Naman and Loral guide the mighty Clarkent and his lovely consort Clo-ee Sullavin."

"That's us." Clark and Chloe walked out majestically, through no fault of their own.

The banquet room was large, with an up-sloping ceiling, which was good, because the room was filled with guests of all alien species, and some of them, the ones near the back of the room, were much taller than the rest. The diversity was incredible: creatures with all numbers of limbs (or lack thereof), heads (or lack thereof), and other unidentifiable features, wrapped in any variety of styles of clothing of any variety of material, or sometimes lack of.

Clark and Chloe were directed toward a pair of thrones. The chairs were boxy and simple, built from some sort of blood-red, marble-like stone with crystalline blue armrests. As the pair sat down, they found the contour of the seats causing them to sit very upright. There was what must have been applause from the crowd. Since some of the creatures had no hands, very few of the guests actually clapped. Other waved, or murmured, or bowed.

Proditor continued his spiel, "Being guided by the spirit of Sageeth the great Lek-Sluthore. Tonight, he is escorted by the beautiful Lanalang, who is guided by the spirit of Rayen."

Emerging from the left side of the room, Lex and Lana wore matching outfits. Lana wore a very intricate gown that had an ancient Chinese look. The top part of the costume was a full bodice made of a silky, magenta-colored fabric tied down the center with a dozen purple bows. The sleeves were nothing more than sparse black cords connected to matching cuffs. The wide, heavy, black-and-white A-line skirt was ruffled, floating around her. Her black hair was set into a bun by three brightly colored hair sticks. Several tresses were removed from the bun and colored in bright neon oranges, greens, and violets, each one set off by a silver bead. She wore large, gaudy earrings in the shape of a solar system which moved in a corresponding manner. Her eyes were painted with an Egyptian kohl design, her lips with glowing rose-colored lipstick, and her cheeks a light coat of white face powder. Lex, escorting Lana, wore a simple suit of slacks and a shirt made of a heavy, black, glossy material. A prominent purple seam crossed the front of the shirt in an X pattern. A thick, white belt encircled his waist and around his neck was a black stole with alien symbols in bright red, gold, silver, and regal purple. If he did fight a score of wild beasts that morning, he had no scars to show for it.

"We are pleased to welcome in our midst Lowzlane. The spirit of Myora has chosen to guide this exceptionally wise and talented woman. She is escorted tonight by the Groosalugg of Pylea."

There was mumbling among the audience about at the announcement, likely concerning Lois's escort. As Lois walked out, Chloe was forced to bite her tongue. Her leather outfit was risqué at best. The fabric completely covered her neck, but broke into three sections at the base. Her back was covered only by a hanging, triangular flap that hid at most the top half of her spine. The other two thirds reached down to her waist, covering most of her torso but exposing the center of her trunk, including, notably, the inner sides of her breasts. Her arms were completely covered by long, wide, nylon sleeves that extended to the floor, but had holes that left her hands exposed. The outfit also featured a skirt made of the leather (or whatever leather-like product it was), which covered the top half of her thighs before becoming a mess of sliced strips, which covered her legs if she stood still, but did nothing to hide them when she walked.

Escorting her was Groo, wearing what must pass for a sports coat on his planet: a heavy jacket made of combed fur. He wore no shirt underneath the coat, but did have a brown collar, dark green knee-length slacks, and tan ankle boots. He stood stiffly with his arms behind him, as a much more laid-back Lois hung on his arm, waving at no one in particular.

"And finally may I present to you the brave Peetros, who is guided by the spirit of Dayak."

Pete was in an outfit that looked military. The top was a mock-breastplate made of a malleable metallic fabric, decorated with alien insignia, most prominent three gold dart-shapes within an oval across his right breast and two blue jewels below that. His arms were bare, but he wore large gold gauntlets that extended over his elbows. He also had dark sea green slacks and rubbery skin-tight black boots. Beside him and towering over him was a six-foot alien. She—Clark and Chloe assumed it was female—had a fairly humanoid form, but scaly, blue-green skin. But most prominent about her were the two pillow-sized breast-like appendages under her tight dress. Pete turned to face her and said something, only his eyes weren't exactly meeting hers but rather another conspicuous area of her body. Chloe suppressed a disapproving smirk.

The smile faded when she noticed that Clark was characteristically staring at Lana. Reaching across the arm of her throne, she held Clark's hand. "Pretty, ain't she?"

Looking people in the eyes made their emotions all the more visible, and she was surprised what she felt as she looked into Clark's: nothing. She didn't feel any surges of awe, attraction, or enticement that she would expect if Clark had been admiring Lana. He said, in a casual but lowered voice, "Yeah, Lana always is, but, uh, I kinda don't care for her dress." When Chloe didn't respond, he continued, "I can see why it'd be pretty, but I just don't like the style. It's too elaborate and complicated."

Chloe surveyed Clark. "Well, never expected to hear critical words about Lana coming out of your mouth. So, since we're playing Joan Rivers, what are your thoughts on _my_ ensemble?"

Clark's eyes swept over Chloe as she read him, feeling a sense of recollection—meaning he had noticed her earlier—and the sense of aesthetic appreciation that she recall from earlier. Though she could interpret his thoughts better than he could put them into words, she still listened intently to his evaluation. "Well, it's kind of simple, but, you know, good-looking. The robe… thing really adds to it." As if his evaluation did express his appreciation, he added, "I like the jewelry a lot. It's kind of…"

"…quirky," she expertly finished. "I agree, but it's kind of my style, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he agreed with a warm grin and a sense of relief, "the whole mix-and-match thing."

The conversation was cut short as Proditor and Beipanzhe approached the thrones with pillow-like cubes, Proditor's much larger than Beipanzhe's. As the former bowed, the pillow seemed to collapse out, revealing a crown within. The unusual crown was shaped like a Native American headdress, cast from what appeared to be silver. As Proditor lifted up the crown to Clark's head, the gold-tipped feathers swayed slowly. Clark had no trouble balancing it on his head, as the brim clenched around his head, and the tail rested against his shoulders. Beipanzhe repeated the ritual with Chloe. Her crown was much smaller, a thin ring of silver shaped like a flower laurel with carved marble daisies. There were also three flowery tails on the crown, which entwined with Chloe's hair as Beipanzhe placed it delicately upon her head.

The two Kenaki moved to the left side of the room where Lex and Lana sat, passing by a font and taking two small boxes from atop it. Proditor placed against Lex's sternum a plum-colored hexagonal badge, which stuck to his clothing. It bore in gold Sageeth's symbol. Beipanzhe placed a necklace around Lana's neck. Attached to the chain was a silver dollar-sized coin, one side bearing the Symbol of Rayen, the other a mirror-image double-L design.

"And, now, Clarkent will reenact the initiation of Dayak by Naman with his friend and loyal subject Peetros."

Clark extended his upward hand to Chloe, who took it. He whispered below his breath, "They teach you what to do?"

"No."

"Then you're just supposed to stand there and look pretty." Chloe's cheeks flushed a little, and she cursed how easily Clark was able to manipulate, unknowingly, her emotions. She was too old and too mature to let such a comment, even from Clark, make her blush.

Clark, with rehearsed grace, gently picked up a sword handed to him by one of the Kenaki men. With a grim-faced Pete standing before him, he held the sword straight up. He tossed it lightly, only enough to make it spin in the air so that he could catch the handle as it became inverted. Pete without a word reached out and grasped the handle of the sword, and his hand and Clark's interlocked. Clark released the sword and stepped back. Pete briefly twirled the sword three times with expert grace before sliding it in a sheath behind his back.

"And, finally, we would like to invite Lowzlane to share with us her wisdom."

Lois's wide eyes made it clear that she had not been informed of her duties for the night. Groo turned to her and said something. Lois rolled her eyes and walked to the stage, where Proditor placed something on the breast of her outfit. Though Proditor did it casually, and seemed to derive no pleasure from it, Lois gave him a suspicious look that he likely did not catch.

Lois started her impromptu speech with very little confidence. "Well, in the wise words of Paul McCartney, 'All you need is love.'" There was some positive murmuring from the crowd. Emboldened, she continued, "And, another quote from my very favorite Queen, 'Another one bites the dust.'" There was less murmuring this time, but a lot of pensive glances. She added with a lot of weight, "It was once said, 'Everybody dance now.'" There was mild cheering. "Ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do for you…" She trailed off, rethinking. "And the other way around. Four score and seven years ago…" Lois's face went completely blank. "Okay, how about a story now? There were two Indians. One of them had no moccasins, and he was sad. Then he met the other Indian… Regardless, he realized that having no shoes wasn't a bad thing and that he should appreciate life and fuzzy-wuzzy crap like that. Maybe I'm thinking of that footprint story. Sometimes there's two pairs of footprints. And sometimes, there's only one." Lois paused for a moment, with a lost look on her face, and mumbled to herself, "I have _got_ to go back to church." There was a sudden applause, as Lois realized the transponder was amplifying her every word. "But I mean, what is God? I don't know. And is He really a 'he.' Or could He be a 'she'?"

By this point Clark had a headache. Pete and Chloe were suppressing laughter. He was having coughing fits; she was in tears.

"So, what I'm really trying to say," Lois continued, "is you have to do unto others what you would do to yourself if you weren't yourself and you were, you know, someone else. Assuming, of course, that you were still you but also someone else, watching yourself, and thinking, 'Hey, I should be nice to myself.' Except it's supposed to mean that you should be nice to other people. You get what I'm saying. With great responsibility comes… With great abilities… I sound like George Bush up here. In his words, you can't fool me more than once." She took an exhausted breath, sighed, and raised her hand. She held pressed her index finger and her middle finger together, and did the same with her ring finger and her pinky. With a deep breath, she stated, "Live long and prosper."

Every creature in the room with an arm to raise did, and each creature with fingers matched her gesture the best they could. There was then a cacophony as each creature with the ability to make noise repeated Lois's charge in his or her or whatever's native language.

Lois just smiled.

- - -

Clark and Chloe let out breaths of relief as the elephantine couple bid them good-bye. They took nervous sips from their respective steel goblets.

"I think we made a better impression with them than with the last ones." Chloe commented with forced optimism.

"Yeah, after we figured out which one was the man and which the woman."

"Yeah, I kind of wish Jor-El had downloaded some information into us before he sent us. Kryptonians do have that kind of technology, right?"

Clark, wide-eyed, nodded, "Yeah, I have had to sit through quite a few of those 'teaching sessions.'"

"But, you know, I've been feeling out the guests. They aren't that turned off. They seem to have a lot of respect for us." Clark nodded with interest. Chloe continued, "I kind of suspect it's because we're the Champions of Naman." She said the title with fake regality.

Chloe sighed as she caught Clark staring at Lana again. But a quick examination of his expression told her he was feeling envy.

Taking a stab, she asked, "A tad jealous of Lex?"

"Yeah," Clark replied immediately. Before Chloe's heart could drop too far, he continued, "He knows how to talk to people. I mean, we're in a room full of aliens from every type of culture and he's cracking jokes. And there laughing. And they all love Lana, too."

"Well, that's her power. She can make everyone thinks she's great." Chloe's brow lowered for a moment. "Of course, I kind of suspect that she had that power long before Jor-El came along."

"Sure charmed the pants off of me." Clark's face when red as Chloe's stifled laugh came out as an almost-snort. With remarkable innocence, he commented, "That came out wrong."

The next couple that approached Clark and Chloe could have passed for human. They would have been on the short side for humans: the man (assuming he was the male) was barely as tall as Chloe in her heels, and the woman (assuming she was the female) three or four inches shorter than he. The man had thick brown-and-blue hair, all of which was slicked back, either naturally or chemically. The woman's buoyant hair was all shades of cherry red to bubblegum pink to snow white. They both dressed in what appeared to be white bed sheets. The woman's was tied around her torso like a strapless dress, though much of her right leg was exposed. The man's outfit covered him from the neck down.

"Krisreo Varaqué," the male said, extending his hand, exposing his bare arm as the folds of his robe slid away. Clark took it, hoping that it was the right thing to do. It would have been the first time all night. The man appeared to accept the gesture. "And this is—"

The woman cut him off, grasping both of Chloe's hands and kissing both of her cheeks twice. She then did the same to Clark, pulling him down to meet her. "Maddinai…" She also stated her surname, but it was a series of uninscribable sounds. Off of Clark and Chloe's stunned looked, she offered, "You can call me Maddie."

Chloe had not had a full time mother figure since she was five. Sure, she remembered spending time with her Aunt Elle before she died, and Martha Kent was more than willing to play surrogate Mom in times of need, but in truth Chloe had had little experience seeing how to act like a hostess. So playing the wife of the man of the hour was difficult, but she tried. "Maddie," she sweetly told the cute woman, "it's so nice to meet you. We're glad you could come. I dearly hope you are enjoying yourself." Maybe she wasn't so bad at it after all. "We're very intrigued by the different dressing styles." Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Clark and Krisreo talking animatedly about something. Perhaps Krisreo was a fan of whatever the equivalent of football was on his planet.

"Yes, especially your friend, Lanalang. I'd love to have an adapted Mulanian princess's engagement gown."

"Well, it ain't for me."

Maddie giggled. "And Lek? A Stazhian sultan high ceremony suit? It's so appropriate, it's almost controversial."

"I don't understand."

"Stazhia is a country on the planet Kerr. They have a long, bloody history where the monarchy and various coups took turns ruling the country for millennia before a Parliament was finally established. Their royal bloodline doesn't rule now. It's just kind of ironic given the history of Naman and Sageeth… and Rayen…"

Chloe couldn't prod much more, because Krisreo came by to collect his escort, stating that another couple—the names were incomprehensible—had demanded their presence. As they walked away, Chloe noticed for the first time that they had tails, his feline, hers vulpine.

Pete came up with Miss Tall-Green-and-Busty, introducing her as "Frogga." Before Chloe had to suppress a giggle, Frogga corrected him, pronouncing the g's in her name glottally. Clark noticed Pete talking below his breath, and as he listened in, he heard Pete say several times, "Talk to her boobs."

Clark uncomfortably set his eyes on her chest, and told her hello. Chloe was about to pinch him when Pete interrupted, "Uh, Chloe, don't get mad. Where she comes from, it's where you're supposed to talk at. They're a completely non-sexual body part, like the elbow for us. Which is kind of ironic, because for them, the elbow is the most intimate region of their body."

"Yes," Frogga replied, "it's highly respectful for you to speak to my _nunu's_. I am curious, though. Peetros seems embarrassed to answer this question. While I understand that it is improper from humans to talk to one's _nunu's_ in public, does your husband ever speak to them in private?"

"Funny story, actually…" Chloe stated, forgiving Clark completely for turning beet red.

"Anyway," Frogga continued, "the _nunu's_ do not distinguish our genders as it is on your planet. My fiancé has a pair half my size."

"You're engaged?" Chloe asked.

"But of course. It is a most magnanimous gesture of generosity for my fiancé to have me escort the affianced Peetros to this ceremony."

Chloe's head jerked to Pete, "_Affianced?!_"

Pete shook his head, "Excuse her; the courtship rituals on her planet are very different. Trust me, I am very _un_-affianced."

Clark was about to ask about what "affianced" meant, when Chloe sensing his confusion, passively stated, "Engaged."

Frogga bowed her head. "I apologize. Peetros, it is a pity you do live on Lilli. A man of your stature and shade of epidermis would be very attractive. You could perhaps be an übermodel, I believe it's called on Earth."

Chloe's mind raced briefly, before replying, "I think she means _super_model."

"Anyway, I am sure you've heard all about Peetros's… companion?"

Clark, giving Pete an annoyed stare, replied, "No, actually, he's been away for some time, and we haven't heard anything."

Matching his annoyed tone, Chloe added, "And we're dying to hear."

As Pete opened his mouth, Lois and Groo walked up. "Hey, guys, what's up?" She then noticed Groo idly gazing at Frogga's _nunu's_. She elbowed him, "Hey, Tarzan, just 'cause I gave you the okay to gander mine doesn't mean you can fancy-free scope the rest of the room."

When she turned back, the appalled stares of Pete, Clark, and Chloe gave her a sense of déjà vu from that morning.

Chloe cleared her throat. "Well, Lois, I got to tell ya. For someone who wants to keep her date's eyes focused on her alone, you're sure giving the whole room a little show."

Lois pointed to a certain section of her costume and stated defensively, "I'll have you know that this is a replica of the garbs of the high priests of the planet of Pamandli. And, uh, aren't you one to talk, girl?" She gave Chloe a tilt of the head which shut up Chloe, who did her best to adjust the neckline of her dress without using her hands. She was completely unsuccessful as she could only use her upper arms, which probably added more to the problem than the solution during her attempts.

Pete joked, "Well, at least you and your date match."

Groo stood tall and replied, "Peetros, this is the highest cerebration wear on Pylea."

"That's formal?" he joked, "I'd hate to see what casual is."

"I said 'celebration.' If you were to visit my home, you would understand that Pyleans have no concept of 'formality.'"

The conversation was ended as Beizhepan spoke into the PA system. "Guests, the hour has arrived for us to begin the dance festivities. We would like to invite our esteemed guests of honor Clarkent and Clo-ee Sullavin to the center of the room to perform a tradition dance. As you will know, it is proper in both Kryptonian and Kawatche cultures for guests to join in."

Clark and Chloe suddenly found themselves in the spotlight, literally. They sneered at Pete and Lois as followed their dates and the rest of the room in backing up to watch. From an unseen band came what sounded like Native American tribal dance music with a heavy beat. Chloe stood in front of Clark with wide eyes. Sighing, he asked, "Remember in eighth grade American History when we watched that movie about the Native Americans?"

Chloe remembered all too clearly. And though Chloe almost always welcomed Clark's heroics, his suggestion to save face was not Chloe's first choice. But as she had no other options, she did what she had to do. As Clark pressed his hands together and lifted them above his head, she held her hands out like bird's wings. She counted them off and they leapt into motion, Clark making a chopping motion with his hand, Chloe flapping her arms like a bird. Four beats later, they began to hop on one foot. Soon, the were making circles around each other, hopping from foot to foot, occasionally taking each others' hands to reverse direction. To their relief, Pete and Frogga soon joined them on the floor, inventing their own motions. They were followed by Lois and Groo. Soon the majority of the room was hopping on the floor, motioning, spinning, and switching from foot to foot (to foot, in some cases).

Much to Clark's relief, the next song played was not a Native American ritual song, rather a slow, simple piece in 3/4 time: a waltz.

"Can you—?" Chloe began to ask before Clark laid his hand on her hip, grasped her left hand, and took a strong forward step, starting them in a simple box step. After Clark extended his right arm, allowing her to spin, she did so with six gracefully even steps.

Clark leaned in to whisper in Chloe's ear. "You dance well."

She tilted her head to face him. "All good Metropolis girls go to Cotillion to learn to dance like this. Not so bad yourself, might I add. Do good Smallville boys do the same?" She sounded almost incredulous.

"No, but the _sons_ of good Metropolis girls learn from their mothers." Chloe nodded. Clark motioned with his head to Lois and Groo, who were dancing very close. "I see Lois is having no problems. So, she's a good Metropolis girl, too?"

"I think to be a _good_ Metropolis girl, you can't be caught making out behind the stage during the etiquette portion of the lesson."

Clark laughed. His eyes dropped to her neck. "Is your necklace blinking faster?"

Chloe looked down. She briefly wanted to tease him about his wandering eyes, but noted that her necklace _was_ indeed blinking faster than before. In addition, while not actually squeezing her, her wiry bracelet was gripping her forearm more tightly. She looked back at him, "Yeah, it is a little. I blame the heat."

"It is kind of crowded." Whether they noticed it or not, the etiquette-standard basketball-sized distance that separated them when they first started waltzing had shrunk to more of a baseball-sized distance. Clark's mind flashed back to four years ago, dancing with a beautiful blond at a Spring Formal, and the look in Chloe's eyes told him that her thoughts were in the same place. As the memory played back in their minds, their heads began to tilt just as they had at the dance years ago.

But no sooner than they began to lean in, Groo's accented voice asked, "Clark, may I have the pleasure of dancing with your wife?"

The baseball-sized distance soon became a basketball-sized distance before become a beach ball-sized distance. "Of course," Clark stated, "if that's okay with you, Chloe."

Chloe smiled and said, "Sure." However, Clark noted that her smile reminded him of times when Chloe had little reason to be happy. The thoughts were fleeting as Groo left Lois standing. Clark extended his hand, "Lois?"

With business-like swiftness, Lois was in formal dance position with Clark. And with a brisk, business-like tone, she told her tall friend, "Okay, Smallville, just wanted to mention something. Neither of us is unaware that Chloe, in the past, if only that, has had feelings for you, and that you at one point did reciprocate. Now, given what I hear about you and Lana's history, I'd believe you _might_ still be stinging and that your mind may not really be that focused on looking in other directions. But just the same, I don't want to hear that you took advantage of this pretend 'marriage' you and my cousin have to push your luck."

"Lois, you know I'd never…"

Lois's tone didn't change. "Yeah, Clark, you wouldn't, would ya? I've heard stories about how you're always at one extreme or the other: either you won't make a move, or you'll make all of them." She let this sink in before mentioning, more softly, "You see Groo? He comes from a planet where people who look like him are treated like slaves."

"Because of his race?"

"Because he looks human. Anyway, Groo asked me to this shindig. He thought he had no business doing so with an 'esteemed dignitary' like me, but he at least asked. It's the kind of attitude that makes me wonder why you strung Lana and Chloe along for so long."

"I didn't, I just…"

"Clark, regardless, what Chloe has or had for you was never just a crush. You're Chloe's closest friend, and you don't have 'just a crush' on someone you know so well, especially for so long. The girl may not get over you until you figure out what you feel. Stop hurtin' my cuz."

"It's not like I try…"

Lois disregarded the comment, as she watched Groo and Chloe dance, "It's it weird how Groo can come from a distant planet and yet look so close to human? And all the same feel like an outsider? Can you imagine?"

Distantly, Clark replied, "Yeah…" When Lois looked back, he added, "Yeah, I can imagine." He paused a moment before commenting, "You're taking this there-are-aliens-among-us thing pretty well."

"I'm standing in a room full of them. What other choice do I have? What about you? You don't seem fazed."

"I have open mind."

Lois turned back to watch Chloe and Groo. As Chloe laughed at something Groo said, Lois's brow twisted and she stepped on Clark's foot. She didn't seem to notice she had done it, and since it didn't cause Clark any pain, he didn't comment. Without turning her head to look at Clark, she asked, "Is Chloe flirting with Groo?"

"Lois, I think we both know that when it comes to reading Chloe's expressions, I'm lost."

"Robinson Crusoe," Lois added. She looked down at their feet. "Not bad with the footwork, Smallville."

"Uh, my mother was a 'good Metropolis girl.'"

Lois nodded knowingly, "Yeah, I keep forgetting that the lady who makes such good homemade apple pies comes from the big city. Now, she's Miss Senator. 'Good Metropolis girl,' huh? Had Chloe been bragging about me?"

Clark didn't have time to answer as a new song started, and Lois took the opportunity to reclaim her date, leaving Clark with only a pithy "thanks."

As Chloe came strolling back, she sweetly asked, "So what are we doing now?"

Clark offered his arm, which was readily taken. "I say we get another cup of that wonderful raspberry punch and dance a little more. Gotta have people believing we're happily married."

The smile on Chloe's face reminded Clark of times when Chloe had reason to be very happy.

- - -

Clark and Chloe entered their room with Chloe swatting away Clark's arms. The raspberry-tasting beverage at the banquet that Clark had taken to apparently contained some substance which was capable of giving Clark the same effects that alcohol gave Earth humans. Luckily, the four gobletfuls he had were only enough to slightly lower his inhibitions. _Perhaps it's dissolved red kryptonite_, Chloe mused. Nonetheless, he had gotten the idea in his head it would be really funny to carry Chloe across the threshold of their room. Chloe had somehow prevented it.

Clark removed his headdress and laid it on a dresser, a goofy grin on his face. "Well, that was fun. Maybe we ought to enter that little routine in a talent show."

"Clark, we're college students."

"You know, a karaoke bar."

"Clark, we've long established that either of us and karaoke is a bad match."

Chloe might not have been paying attention, or maybe Clark had supersped, but without warning, he was very close to her, stating, "But you _know_ how much I love your rendition of Fefe Dobson's 'Kiss Me Fool.'"

_How did Clark remember **that**? Super-memory must be one of his new powers. _

Maybe the red-kryptonite-alcohol was wearing off, because Chloe felt Clark become more serious. "You know, Groo was telling me today that I was really lucky to have you as my wife." They shared a quick chuckle. "But, you know, he was right. Naman would have been really blessed to have a Loral like you. You're incredibly loyal and understanding and heroic…" The soft grip on her shoulder could have meant anything. Clark was releasing a fury of emotions, and Chloe was having trouble deciphering them until his hand brushed her hair, when it all became _abundantly_ clear which emotion was dominant. He tilted his head forward, and she couldn't help but do the same. However, his kiss fell upon her temple, which confused Chloe, because she was reading a completely unmistakable set of emotions from Clark, and they did _not_ lead to a friendly kiss on the head. His head, however, kept moving forward so that his temple was against hers. "We're not alone. I hear breathing." Clark's words were whispered very lightly, but as his lips were right next to her ear, she had no trouble hearing him. Chloe extended her senses further, and picked up a strong sense of overprotectiveness coming from some unseen body in the room, which could only mean one thing.

Chloe was about to play it off, pretend she didn't notice her cousin, but she caught a fleeting sense of amusement from Clark, a devilish thought that must have passed through his head. It was distinct enough that Chloe immediately understood his brief intentions. She pulled away so she could give him an overemphasized waggish grin. Clark's face soon matched hers.

She, being the slyer of the two, began the charade. "Clark…" Her voice was full of frustration. "Lighten up. Lois is not going to walk in the door and catch us. Plus, even if she did, we've been close all night. I'm sure she'll think it's just accumulated tension. She's not gonna realize we've been sneaking around, and… stuff…" She trailed off, smirking inwardly.

Chloe felt an uncharacteristic swell of craftiness in Clark. It outmatched hers, so she braced herself for whatever Clark was going to say next. "I'm sorry, Chloe. It's just, it's getting really complicated. Pretending to be married; it's ironic, don't you think?" Why he was tracing the blue paint line on her neck she did not know.

Chloe had barely steeled herself for this kind of response, but her next action came before she could think it through. Grabbing the lapels of Clark's shirt, she replied, starting to take a few steps backwards, pulling Clark along, "Yeah. But, c'mon, we'd just have been kissing. We'd lock the doors if we were going to reenact our honeymoon." Chloe immediately realized she'd pushed it too far, but it became a moot issue when she neglected to count her steps. She'd tripped over the foot of the bed and Clark was falling toward her.

Clark's superhuman reflexes allowed him to throw his arms out in time to prevent him from crushing Chloe. Luckily, in this position, Lois could not see that they'd both dropped their game faces and now wore faces of panic. The reverie was broken anyway by the screaming of a now visible Lois. "WHAT THE….?!" Apparently there wasn't a word worthy of finished the exclamation. "YOU'RE M—…" The word never came.

Clark and Chloe were free to burst into fits of laughter. Clark rolled over and the fact that they had nearly been lying on top of each other was forgotten. Wiping away the tears on her cheek, Chloe responded, "Voyeur!"

Lois was caught. "You're terrible, you know that, cuz? Here I am, protecting you from a 19-year-old male, and you go ahead and nearly seduce him in front of my eyes! But I have to give you two credit. Clark, that lead-in line to Chloe about being a good Loral or whatever, it had me convinced. The rest seemed kind of forced. Take an acting class or two."

Chloe folded her arms. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Night, love birds. Remind me to kill you later." She didn't actually storm out of the room, but it was close to storming.

A few moments passed and Clark and Chloe went on preparing for bed. Clark, fully changed into pants and an appropriately sized tee-shirt, sat on the side of the bed, and looked up. Chloe was taking off her jewelry, and tears were streaming down her face.

* * *

A/N: Wow, this to me seems even more cliffhangerish than the last chapter. I wonder if that mean people are going to start screaming out stuff like, "Why is she crying?!" or "What's up with Lex?!" or "How can I meet Frogga?" Well, you'll just have to wait those two weeks or so that it takes me to whip it into shape. I promise that it'll be up by Labor Day.

By the way, twenty points to whoever can figure out the karaoke joke.

(Sonriso) - No, my poor Chloe! Why is she crying?!

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Friday, July 21, 2006. Finished Tuesday, August 22, 2006. Updated Friday, October 20, 2006.


	6. Banquet

The Champions of Kal-El: Banquet  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: Things come to a turning point.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5, up to perhaps Void.

A/N: So, Chlark lovers are probably in Heaven with this story, and Lexana lovers are probably feeling a little bit miffed, hmm? Well, I apologize, and this chapter does seek to remedy that a little bit. The thing is I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and I can only show so much Lex and Lana without giving away the surprises. I know this focuses on Clark/Chloe a lot, but it's really meant to be their point of view of the story. As for Pete and Lois, their moments of glory are coming up.

(Warning, this next paragraph is a bunch of ranting that has nothing to do at all with my story.) I caught the Smallville Season 6 preview commercial. I hear that Lois is getting a boyfriend in the form of the Green Arrow. I'm all for delaying any Cloisiness for as long as possible. In fact, I'd be okay if TW and ED were seldom in the same scenes together, because I think they can do a lot more for the show by developing Lois without the influence of Clark, and vice versa. Plus, it's a great way to show Lois's love of superheroes without forcing sparks between her and Clark. I also hear that Chloe is finally getting a boyfriend in the form of an older-than-canon Jimmy Olsen. My thoughts? Well, as a Chlarker, it irks me that they're probably trying to divert attention away from the extremely Chlarky scene in Vessel. I honestly believe that they feel the Clark/Chloe relationship has so much potential that it would water down the soul mate aspect of Clark and Lois's relationship, which I seem to recall _they aren't allowed to have on the show_. (And then there's the fact I kind of like the Chlois theory.) Now, I will gladly withdraw my criticism of the Chimmy if one or more of the following things happens: Chloe is at first reluctant to date Jimmy as she regretted bedding him a few years back; Chloe is at first torn between Clark and Jimmy; Jimmy and Chloe's relationship is at times rocky because of Chloe's feelings for Clark; Clark comes back from the PZ actually curious about pursuing a relationship with Chloe, even if Jimmy turns out to be an obstacle (it's about time we added a new variable to the endless love triangles; Lex-Lana-Clark had mixed results). Plus, we have to get our required Chlark kiss of the season. Oh, and now that Lana is with Lex/Zex, Chloe is with Jimmy, and Lois with Ollie, is Clark going to have a romantic interest this season? One that actually lasts more than one episode and/or doesn't _die_?

By the way, before I forget: You people who review my work and give me praise? I love each and every one of you. Especially those of you who take the time out to give me a little bit of constructive criticism. I'm listening. I promise.

* * *

Chapter 6: Banquet

After the night's festivities, Lana sat in her room, using a brush as she spoke to Lex. The object was quite peculiar, but Lana had already fallen in love with it: a hairbrush without the pins. It worked the same as a brush: when stroked against the hair, it removed the tangles, but it didn't yank at one's hair.

"We did good tonight. A party was a welcome change after all that fighting yesterday."

Lex leaned against the dresser. "I'd agree, but I kind of dig the adrenaline rush. Though, I am looking forward to facing Groo in the battling arena tomorrow. Assuming Lois will let me at him."

Lana, recognizing Lex's coy smirk, berated him, "You're awful. He escorted her to one party and you think… You must not know Lois well."

Lex's smirk didn't drop. "And exactly how well do you know her, Miss Lang?"

"Well enough!" she snapped, though neither could hide their mischievous grins.

"You know, Lana, you've really got what it takes. The way you spoke with the, uh, guests tonight… I'm telling you, you could be a senator, or a CEO…"

"All the things you want to be?"

"…a housewife who throws a lot of parties," he added.

"I rest my case."

Lex laughed. "I'm not kidding."

Lana sighed. "I appreciate it, Lex, but… I just want to figure it out on my own. Plus, you were so much more charismatic than me. You're amazing."

Lex moved to the foot of the bed to pet the back of Lana's hair. "Lana, you don't have to be perfect all the time."

She swatted his hand away and showily started to brush the back of her head again. "It's just sometimes, I think people expect me to be. Take Clark for example."

Lex sat beside her at the foot of the bed. "Lana, we all have flaws. It won't make _me_ think any less of you."

Resting her shoulder against his, she replied, "Thanks, Lex. It's nice to have someone to talk to. That used to be Clark, but ever since we broke up… it's nice to have a surrogate, I guess you could say."

Raising his shoulders and pressing out his chest, Lex replied haughtily, "Well, I'm proud to be your surrogate Clark."

She punched his shoulder playfully. "Lex, I didn't mean it like that. You're my surrogate confidante. Or just confidante really." She tilted her head to look at him.

Lex took the opportunity to place a kiss on her forehead. "I'm more than happy to do it." They embraced in a tight hug.

Pulling away, Lana commented, "I'm gonna get ready for bed, okay?"

Lex replied with a warm "sure" and hopped up off the bed and walked to the door.

- - -

Tears streaming down her face, Chloe self-consciously held her arms in front of her chest. Clark hopped up from the bed. "Chloe? Chloe, what's wrong?"

Chloe took a few tentative steps forward. Clark wisely opened his arms, and Chloe closed the distance between them as she laced her arms around Clark as he did the same to her. "Chloe, tell me what's going on."

Between breaths, Chloe answered, "Clark, what's going on is that's it's summer vacation and we haven't been home in two days and we can't contact our parents and they're probably worried sick about where we are and _we're_ having parties and getting dressed up and fighting aliens… Clark, we've got to get back home. Jor-El sent us on a wild goose chase. We're not doing any good here and I miss my dad." By now, Clark's hand was stroking her hair.

"Chloe," he replied, "you're right. The Kenaki don't need to be saved. Tomorrow morning, we'll talk to them and ask them to send us home. Of course, we'll have to drag Pete away from all the weapons… and Lois from Groo."

"And Lana from the pretty dresses."

"And Chloe from the pretty dresses."

"And Clark from the, uh… what do you like about being here?"

Clark smiled and thought. "I like not having to hide my powers from my friends. I like having Pete back. I like hanging with you guys again. And I like that you're happy. And that it's not in spite of me." They exchanged smiled, and he continued, "I like the big dinners, especially the raspberry wine. And the soft bed."

Chloe giggled and nodded. "Bed's nice." Clark brushed her hair out of her face, and she hummed appreciatively, closing her eyes and opening them sleepily. "It's about time for me to turn in."

Chloe picked a blue nightgown from the dresser and pulled the sleeves off her shoulders. She peeked around; Clark had his back to her and was assembling the pillow wall. Assured of his integrity, she slipped on the knee-length nightgown. "You know, last night, you totally pulled a Berlin Wall on our little divider. I'd stop wasting your time. You're not gonna pull something on me, are you?"

Clark took longer than usual to reply. "It wouldn't be the most gentlemanly thing to do, I guess."

"That better mean no, Kent." Chloe leapt face first onto the bed, enjoying the rippling effect it had on the mattress. Propping herself up on her elbows, she eyed the reclining Clark. "Tonight was nice. I know I probably sound like Lana, but it's kind of nice to be a princess." After a pause, she continued, "You know, my dad called me 'princess' until I was eleven." She added matter-of-factly, "I made him stop."

"That doesn't surprise me. What else did he do when you were little?" Chloe gave him an inquisitive look, and he stated, "What? Ever since you learned my secret, it's all we talk about. We never talk about you." Chloe continued to look at him. He defended himself, "I read it in a book somewhere. Girls like to talk about themselves. It's a scientific fact."

"Okay. Uh, here's one you can appreciate. When I was six, I was terrified that there was a monster under my bed. I could even describe it in explicit detail, the reporter I was even then. So, my dad comes into my room one night with the _Daily Planet_ and he pretends to read an article entitled, 'Sciencists Discover New Monster Repellent.' He then tells me that he had the exterminators come and spray it under the bed." Clark laughed, so she continued, "It became kind of a tradition, reading the _Planet_ before bed. Only me, I know. Anyway, once, after Dad had read me _Cinderella_ for probably the seventh time in a row—it was my favorite; don't ask—I defiantly tell him I don't believe the story is true. So, out the door he goes and back in he comes with the _Planet_, and he reads the wedding announcements. He shows me the picture of the beautiful blond girl and the tall, handsome, dark-haired man, just like in the Disney movie." She pauses for a long time. "You know, it's funny. I never believed him once." Clark was silent. "You see, I've always been two years ahead in reading. I could look at the articles he was pointing at and know he was lying just to make me feel better. But… I always believed that anything the _Planet_ printed had to be true." Clark resumed stroking her hair and she lazily leaned on his shoulder. "Stop that. You make me think we're really together." Clark said nothing. Chloe went on, "I've never told anyone that story. Tell me one. Something you've never told anyone else. It's only fair."

"Can you keep it a secret?"

"Not sure. The last secret you asked me to keep was a doozy."

"When I was four, I liked to run around the house with my underwear on over my pants."

Chloe was at first quiet. She then proceeded to break into a fit of giggles. Clark rolled his eyes and grabbed her around the arms. She continued to laugh uncontrollably. She tried to wiggle free of his grip, but realized how seriously impossible that was going to be. She finally calmed down and Clark let go of her, but she remained lying on his shoulder, smiling for the second night in a row, all because of Clark. _That's got to be a new record_, she thought.

- - -

The belt was lying on the dresser, its two sheaves each holding the appropriate weapon. A hand reached out and removed the small dagger. The hilt was made of a smooth, dull gray stone, engraved with several symbols, Kawatche petroglyph characters or Kryptonian letters. The butt was engraved with a single character: the symbol of Sageeth. Each side was engraved with a six-letter word form. The blade was small, simple, pointed, and made from the translucent lime green crystal. Near the base of the blade, on either side was a simple indention. It was difficult to see, but appeared to be a gem-shaped pentagon.

Lex, standing only in his sleep pants, handled the blade delicately. He laid it down, examining the hilt. His hand moved over to the pile of clear, plastic pages filled with black Kryptonian symbols and English words. He searched through the entire pile but the same frustrated grimace never left his face. He turned around to peer at his bed, smiled to himself, and walked back over. He took his place on the left side of the bed, pulled the covers back over him, and disappeared in the thickness of the sheets and comforters.

- - -

"Clark, you're not even trying!" the young blond woman cried, throwing down the metal pole in her hand.

Clark, barefoot, in white shorts and a white muscle shirt, replied, "Chloe, I don't want to hurt you. See that nice bend in your pole? That's my shoulder."

Chloe, also barefoot, adjusted her white shorts and white tank top. "I'm not a porcelain doll. You're treating me like I'm made of glass."

"Did I ever tell you about the time when I was eight and I stepped on one of my Mom's diamond earrings, barefoot, and shattered it? Like glass."

Chloe relaxed her stance. "So? Did you take a lump of coal and squeeze a new one out of it?"

Clark too relaxed. "No, I wasn't that geologically aware yet. But I did rake every lawn in a half-mile radius. Only took me two weeks since I did seven lawns at a time. Only made up about half the cost."

"Clark, I'm sure your mom would have forgiven you regardless."

"Yeah, she did, but these were an anniversary present from Dad. Dad eventually replaced them, but that was after my parents came to the conclusion if I can rake yards, I'm ready for farm chores. Dad never had to hire a new farmhand again."

"You're veering off topic. C'mon, Clark," she taunted, shoving Clark, who moved back to prevent his iron chest from breaking Chloe's wrists. "Throw me, Clark, I dare ya. C'mon. You call yourself a superhero? You can't even fend off a five-four blond girl. Lana didn't need her kryptonite necklace to bring you to her knees, did she?"

Before she realized what was happening, Clark's hands were around her waist, then off, and she was sailing through the air. Her supernatural instincts kicking in, she spun herself in midair, caught the wall, and leapt off headfirst, and back-flipped, landing gracefully on the ground. "Ta-da!" she called, hands up.

"Did you ever take gymnastics?"

"Yes, but that's a story for another time. Clark, look, I'm still alive. If you wanted, you could have broke me like an egg against that wall. Now, Clark, I was reading you just then. You had a lot of anger. A lot more than I expected, granted, but you were definitely fuming. Anyway, Clark, even in the heat of the moment, you were able to control yourself."

Clark pondered her words briefly, but pushed the thoughts away after the words took another an alternate meaning, and Chloe felt him block his thoughts. "You're right, Chloe, but you took a big risk."

"I trust you not to hurt me."

"I've done it before."

"When?" Chloe challenged, and after a pause, read Clark and nodded. "Okay, you have, but I blame that on pure teenage boy stupidity and not alien superpowers." With that, she picked up the metal pole. "C'mon, big guy, let's see what you got." Milliseconds later, Chloe found herself suspended in the air by Clark's arm around her waist. "Oh, yeah?" She slapped the bar down on Clark's bare foot, only to have the bar vibrate violently against her hand. Clark just chuckled. "Funny? Try this on for size." She swung the bar in between her legs, and between Clark's. She felt herself fall to the ground, so she somersaulted forward, and leapt up, in time to see Clark smiling superiorly at her. "You mean that didn't hurt at all?"

"No, it did. Kind of reminds me of that time I got a mosquito bite after Jor-El took my powers away. Oh, and by the way, you're five-two, _maybe_ five-three."

Chloe threw the pole, javelin-style, at Clark, who caught it easily, and tossed it back to her after bending it into the shape of a dog. Chloe scoffed at the _pièce de résistance_, and gave Clark the "come and get it" gesture with her hand. Closing her eyes, she kicked the iron doggie straight up into the air and jumped to the side. The superspeeding Clark, distracted by his artwork suddenly in his line of sight, lost sight of Chloe, and plowed right into the wall. Clark, unhurt, pulled himself from the large indention in the wall, peeled away and dropped the now flattened metal sculpture that had unfortunately gotten caught between him and the wall.

He bent his neck to pop his spine, and without warning or erecting his head, he disappeared. An instant later, Chloe found Clark running only double speed right in front of her. She spun away, but his long arms easily grabbed her, and pulled her along and he launched himself off the ground, onto the opposite wall, and high into the air. He threw her with just enough forced to propel her within a few feet of the thirty foot ceiling. Chloe simply held her hands and feet out, falling freely.

She landed softly in Clark's outstretched arms. He commented, "That's what you'd do in response to being thrown into the air?"

"Well, I admit it's not the ideal way to deal with an antagonistic adversary. But I knew _you_'d catch me." Chloe saw the look of remembrance on Clark's face, so she attempted to read it. A bright flash of light flooded her vision, and she suddenly found herself in the Kents' barn, though her vision was filled with oversaturated colors. Though she could no longer feel her body, she found herself standing at the top of the stairs leading to the loft, watching a petite, teenaged girl climbing onto the second story railing. The girl had short, crimped blond hair with noticeable black streaks, and she was wearing a jean jacket over a tight, black tank top and tight jeans. Chloe soon realized this girl was herself, minus a few years and her current taste in fashion. The other Chloe held her arms straight out, standing with her back to the open ledge, while speaking to the inhabitants of the barn. With a bounce of the eyebrows, she leaned back and started to fall through the air. She had fallen half the distance when she suddenly appeared to freeze in midair. Chloe's point of view glided down the stairs and when it reached the bottom, the vision's Chloe unfroze and landed in two strong arms, clothed in a tan jacket. She wrapped her arms around what Chloe perceived to be her own neck, and with a rather lusty grin, said something. Another flash brought the real Chloe back to the fighting arena.

She dropped from Clark's arms. After a few perplexed moments, stated almost accusingly, "That was when I was infected with that adrenaline worm. I paid entirely too much to get those horrid streaks out."

"Wait, you saw that? You were in my head?"

"Yeah, apparently I can get into your memories now." She thought for a second. "Clark, be honest with me. I looked pretty flirty in that memory of yours. Lana got mad at you for making out with some chick in the Talon. My guess is that Red K was involved. I'm also guessing that that chick… had an affinity for jumping off lofts into the arms of her superpowered best friends. So, how are my deductive powers serving me?"

"Chloe…" he replied non-confirmingly.

"Okay, then. We'll do this the hard way." Chloe grasped his arm. Another flash flooded her vision, and she suddenly felt two soft lips upon her own. Chloe was very disconcerted to see her own face pull away. Somewhere, her past self had lost the brown jacket and was now wearing only the too-tight, lacy black tank top that was never meant to be outerwear. While the sound was still muted, Chloe could easily tell just from the expression on her own face that she was saying something both coy and playful. She pretended to reach down her top and pull out something then proceeded to mimic the motions of shuffling and dealing cards. Clark's body, playing along, looked at his empty hands, making sure not to obscure his view of Chloe. Chloe's past self mouthed what seemed to be "Royal Flush." Her hands moved to Clark's collar, and Chloe actually felt the first four buttons of a shirt she wasn't aware she was wearing being undone and the rest of a blue flannel shirt torn open. And down came Chloe's mouth on her own again, but before she had to again endure kissing her twin, a flash brought her back to the present. Having mutually experienced the flashback, Chloe and Clark were both feeling a bit on the warm side. And Chloe found herself, ironically, pressed against Clark after waking from the vision.

"Well, look where my journalistic curiosity has gotten me now," she stated a little breathily.

"Yeah," Clark responded as his head descended toward hers.

The door slammed open and Chloe leapt back. In walked Lois, saying, in a perfectly casual tone, "Oh, hey, you two. You guys using this room? Sorry 'bout that. Groo's all rested up from his match with Lex this morning, and we thought we'd have another go at it." She added unnecessarily, "Sparring."

As Chloe's arm briefly brushed against Clark's, a brief flash replaced the image of Lois with the image of a middle-aged blond woman dressed in black with her twin daughters, each holding a doll. The image was fleeting.

"We're done," Clark answered quickly. "I'm uh, I'm gonna go take a shower." He hurried out the door.

"I don't blame you!" Lois called behind him before turning back to her cousin. "Do you not love those showers?"

Chloe read Lois and didn't sense any suspicion and let out a breath of relief.

Lois continued, "I mean, those things are as awesome as my bed. I never thought I would enjoy being suspended by antigravity and run through a carwash so much, but damn…"

Chloe cringed and pulled backwards. "Lois, I beg of you, watch your emotions around me."

Lois smirked in response. "Gee, as much time as you spend with Clark, I'd think you'd be used to it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" _Maybe that was a little too loud. _

"Chloe, for goodness sake, you're in love with the guy, and you're sharing a bed with him. You can't tell me your own hormones aren't going crazy. I didn't mean it like _that_. This is Clark we're talking about."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" This time it was softer as Chloe reserved judgment, though still said too quickly.

"Clark would never try anything," Lois replied.

Chloe calmed down. After a heavy breath, she replied with mild confidence, "Yeah, that's true."

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"'Cause Clark would never try anything. I bet he's the kind of guy who would like a forward girl."

Chloe pondered that for a moment, and replied, "Then why isn't he interested in you?"

"Ew, gross. I didn't need that thought." Lois sneered and turned around, "I'm gonna go track down Groo. Tell him we've got ourselves a private room."

Chloe cringed again. She called behind the exiting Lois, "Can you _please_ think about him where I'm not?!"

"See you at the farewell banquet! Wear something pretty!"

- - -

"Something comfortable," Lana stated, as she perused through the dress racks. "Not a full skirt, just down to the calves about, and not heavy. I want to be able to move. Lex is wearing his belt, so I'd kind of like something to attach my rope to. To match. Am I being too picky?"

Inadu smiled. "No, we have quite a collection, and we'll be able to find something for you. Any color preferences?"

"Anything but pink or black."

"Well," Inadu began, walking down the aisle, "if my memory serves me right, I think that we might have a nice merlot-colored ensemble. It's for a race that's fairly humanoid. A little bit smaller than you, but… since for them it's a full dress…" She grabbed the dark red skirt of the rack and held it to Lana's waist. It fell just below the knees. "Perfect. Luckily you have a small frame size, so it should work out beautifully." The hem was trimmed with small gold beads. "And…" She reached into the top rack and pulled down a plum-colored shirt with overly long sleeves, but threw it behind her, where it floated on its hanger and inserted itself into the opposite racks. She pulled out a scarlet-colored top. She held the top up to Lana's chest. "I think this will work. Bring in the bust a bit. And we'll just get you a belt."

"Thank you," she replied sweetly. After collecting her outfit, she walked toward the exit, bumping into Chloe going entering.

"Sorry, Chloe."

"Hey, no biggie."

"Looking for something to wear for the banquet?"

"Yeah. You raved on this place, so I thought I'd check it out. Recommend anything?"

"Can't go wrong." With this, Lana quickly shuffled out.

Inadu was there to greet her. "Madame, how can I serve you?"

"I'm looking for something to wear for the banquet. I'd kind of like something more… exotic than what I wore last night. And you know how this part of my body has kinda always been exposed?" She gestured toward her collarbone while chuckling under her breath.

"You'd like something that conceals it?"

"No, I just wanted to keep up the tradition. And, uh, Clark says they're getting him a Kawatche warrior costume. I'm looking for something kind of equivalent."

"Well, we do have this." Inadu walked around to the other aisle and pulled out a rust-red dress. It was made of the soft animal skin-like product that Chloe's first dress was produced from, but this one had a full skirt and a more bodice-type top. "It will, of course, have to be let out in certain areas. This belonged to a former Loral who was a bit smaller than you."

- - -

Chloe admired the warm reddish-orange fabric of her dress in the mirror. The skirt was long to her ankles, with the hem decorated with a series of red, orange, yellow, white, and blue-green beads. The top half, connected by the corn-yellow belt, dipped low in back to show off most of her back, but covered all of her front, up to the sweetheart neckline. The straps emerged from the far edges of the bodice and tied around her neck.

"Guess who," came her cousin's voice. Though, when Chloe spun around, Lois was nowhere to be found. Chloe felt a poke on her shoulder and rolled her eyes. She attempted to slap back, but caught nothing but air, hearing the soft steps of her invisible cousin.

Chloe closed her eyes and stood still. With intention, she punched forward, hitting what she was fairly sure what Lois's shoulder and kicked a heavy pillow from the ground toward where Lois's ankle probably were. A surprised Lois reappeared as she tumbled, not reaching the ground but rather floating just above it. A smiling Chloe commented, "Face it, Lois, with my powers, you might as well be wearing a Las Vegas billboard."

"Speaking of billboards," Lois replied, gracefully righting herself. Taking obvious note of the low-but-just-barely-respectable neckline, she continued, "you wouldn't happen to be trying to attract the eye of a certain someone we know, now would you?"

"I'm just trying to dress the part. This is what Inadu came up with."

"Well, then, I can certainly see why Naman was so hung up on this Loral chick. You think Myora ever got any action?"

"In the stories, isn't he like an old guy?"

"He was a wise man. You don't get to be wise without a wife."

"You're unbelievable," Chloe groaned.

Lois took Chloe's hand and twirled her to get a full view of the dress. "I've got a question. Why were you and Clark sparring this morning? Isn't he kind of invincible?"

Chloe was silent for a while as she collected her thoughts. "The thing with Clark is, while he may be invulnerable, physically at least, that doesn't mean he doesn't have weaknesses. For example, remember how hard he fought against those sand creatures? They weren't gonna even leave a scratch on him, but the rest of us were in trouble. Clark cares about the rest of us and couldn't live with himself if he didn't protect us."

"You know, cuz, I think I'm finally getting what you see in Farmboy." With a sincere smile, she embraced her younger cousin. "Not that that means I'm warming up to the hick or anything."

- - -

Chloe smoothed down her hair, which was now held back by a red plastic headband. Chloe had studied the item for several minutes before coming to the conclusion that it was actually just a headband without any advanced technology. Her Shaman's Eye bracelet hung on her wrist and the red necklace from the night before hung around her neck, though Chloe had adjusted the length of the chain as the center of her neckline was notably higher than before. The slow, steady twinkling started immediately, only to switch to a more staccato beat when there was a knock on the door and Clark walked in, wearing an aquamarine-dyed, House of El-emblazoned Kawatche war shirt over tan pants. He had on his neckerchief from the night before. Soft moccasins—Chloe had a matching pair—covered his feet. He quietly gazed at Chloe.

Though she knew the answer, she still asked, with feigned nonchalance, "What is it?"

His response was delightfully reverent. "You look amazing."

She moved aside to let Clark in. With obvious frivolity, she replied, "Oh, it's just the latest fashion in Kawatche prom dresses. Soon, the market'll be flooded with 'em." As much as she yearned for the attention, she was unused to it. "You know, there's gonna be some kind of media circus awaiting us when we get back."

"Why?"

"Billionaire Lex Luthor goes inexplicitly missing for two days? Lionel'll have the biggest investigation since JFK set up. Add on top of that, State Senator Martha Kent, who by the way is a close friend of Lionel Luthor, declares that her own son _and _her chief of staff have similarly gone missing at the same time. Drag into two Metropolis University coeds, one of whom is Martha's chief of staff's cousin not to mention…" her voice became overly dramatic, "the star intern of the _Daily Planet_. Then there's Pete, son of a state Supreme Court judge. That alone gets the FBI involved." All at once, Chloe started to talk faster than before, "Hey, we might even get on Letterman. Ooh, and I've always wanted to meet Barbara Walters! Though, we're gonna have to come up with a good alibi before we go back. Somehow raving about aliens isn't exactly the best direction."

Clark's face showed a full grin. "The banquet's not gonna wait for us."

"Actually, chief, it is. How's my hair?" She spun to look in the mirror again.

Clark stood behind her and ran his hands against her neck through her hair. "It looks great. I never said anything before, but I've always like your hair."

Chloe smiled brightly, but didn't want to turn around and let Clark know how much he affected her. She replied, "Enough flattery, Clark, we've got a banquet to go to."

Chloe didn't realize that since she was looking into the mirror, Clark could see her face very clearly.

- - -

The high ceilings of the banquet hall were alit with white ambient lighting. Holograms of brightly-colored stellar systems and comets danced above the guests while omnipresent music emerged from the very walls. Alien creatures, from cuddly mammalians to fearsome demonoids, roamed the floors and the air, prevented from interacting with the Kenaki guests by force fields surrounding the circular tables. Several creatures of the small servant race navigated around the beasts as they served the Kenaki, who wholly disregarded them. The head table, sitting near the center of the back wall, was horseshoe-shaped. Clark sat dead center, with Chloe close to him on the left. To her left were Lana and Lex, who also sat closer together than to the others. To Clark's right was Pete, Lois, and Groo. Before them were a number of large, silver hemispherical plate covers.

"Master Peetros tell me that these are a delicacy on your planet," Proditor stated, standing opposite of Clark. Pete smiled. Proditor lifted up the cover, revealing a plate of nachos covered in a mountain of condiments.

"My favorite," Chloe remarked, leaning over Clark to squeeze Pete's hand.

"Anything for my bed buds," he replied, revealing a plate of chili dogs between him and Lois.

Lois cringed. "Someone pass me the stuffed mushrooms." Lana traded her for Buffalo wings.

As Clark cut off a piece of his burrito for her to try, Chloe turned her head toward Lana and Lex, who were laughing at some private joke. As she silently analyzed their expressions, their emotions echoed in her ears. She turned to Clark, who noted her confusion.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," she replied, taking a bite Clark's entree and pasting on a smile. "It's good." Clark nodded and turned back to his own plate, but not before letting his fingertips lightly glide over Chloe's arm. Chloe would have responded, but she caught a fairly strong pang of jubilation from Lois as Groo stood up, excusing himself and laying a brief kiss on her lips.

There was a pinging from Lex's area of the table. He held the crystal glass filled with a Kenaki wine and a small spoon in the other. "Excuse my interruption, but I believe it's time I made a speech." He locked eyes briefly with Lana, who nodded soberly. Something in the back of Chloe's mind nagged her, but she couldn't bring it to the surface.

Lex jumped on top of the table with a wide grin. "If you'll all excuse my impropriety, I'll begin. I'd like to start off by thanking our most gracious hosts, the inhabitants of Dagula-Inagehi. You have shown us your most remarkable world, which to you, I know is rather ordinary, but to us, is quite humbling. It is a reminder of both our limitedness and our potential. I'd also like to thank Lana, who graciously chose to escort me to your marvelous functions, making a rich bald fool look good." There was mild laughter from the crowd, which Pete giving some intentional force. "I'd also like to give my warm appreciation at my friends sitting at this table. You're all worthy of the powers you've been given. Lois, who I once accused of going nowhere and getting by only on her looks, now soars with the wings of an eagle and shows her strength even when she's unseen to the eye. Pete, who at times felt he was playing second fiddle to someone, now is a true fighter and hero. Chloe, always a fool when it came to her emotions, is now a master of them. And, Clark, Clark with his Messiah Complex, how appropriate is it that he was given great power, a god among men, powers of a man who fell from Heavens."

Lex pulled the glowing green dagger from its sheave. Clark gasped, as if the air was sucked from his body. Poison green veins bulged in Clark's face and hands and he fell backwards to the ground, as Chloe leapt to his side. Pete jumped up onto the table, his hands on the weapons in his belt.

Lex, unfazed, just smiled. He whispered under his breath, "Maybe that's because you did."

* * *

A/N: Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Yep, I left it there. I did. But rest assured. I've already started the next chapter, so the wait will probably not be as long as it was for this one. Not that that's a whole lot of condolence for you readers, unfortunately. Well, for your sake, I promise to work very hard to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, because it's going to be really exciting. 

BkWurm1, you wanted to know how much of this is from Smallville? Not enough. I wish the writers of Smallville would deepen the Kawatche mythology. While I am ultimately the director of the action, for the sake of realism, I am pulling as much as I can from the show, from Superman mythology, and from Native American culture. Note that I have taken extreme liberties on the latter. The Koga tribe is my own invention, so I'm really developing their customs to fit my story.

By the way, twenty points to whoever figures outs who the original Naman was in my story. Hint: It's not Clark; and it may require research.

And a note to Trix2345, among others who probably are thinking the same thing, yes, I am an _Angel_ fan. I've got a follow-up story to this one in the works which will expand upon Groo's backstory and more, because you might notice some chronological and canonical inconsistencies.

(Sonriso) - But… how did he… why… and what… so confused… how could you… WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?!

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Sunday, August 20, 2006. Finished Monday, September 4, 2006. Updated Friday, October 20, 2006.


	7. Fulfill

The Champions of Kal-El: Fulfill  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: As the farewell banquet takes a violent turn, secrets are revealed and the entire adventure is turned on its head.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5, up to perhaps Void.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to chlark lover and cHoCoLaTe-cHiHuAhUa, two authors who realized the direction that I was taking the story even before I did.

By the way, I may have to work on the previous chapter, because no one seemed to sense that _everything_ is about to go down. It's partially my fault, because I was walking a fine line with the Lex subplot, trying to reveal enough that you know something's going on but not enough that you know what it is. Regardless, you're gonna find out in this chapter. This message especially goes out to anisah, who called me out on my airy plot, among other things. (I appreciate the criticism; I really do.) This is the direction the story has always been going, but I'm just not a good enough writer yet to incorporate the necessary foreshadowing.

By the way, SeasonVelvet, _FernGully_? Uh, yes, I've seen it, but I fail to see how it inspired my story.

BkWurm1, you like my Lois? Excellent! Though, do understand that this character is still written for Erica Durance. I like the way she's portrayed on the show (at least when she's consistent and they're not just giving her lines as anvil-level throwaway references to the comics): a fighter, an overprotective big sister figure, an incurable flirt, with a big heart, a big mouth, a big ego, and a big eye for superheroes. But, I too am a devoted Chlarker and an opportunistic Chloiser. My Lois will never be even more than a thread more than friends with Clark.

* * *

Chapter 7: Fulfill 

Lex, green dagger in hand, lunged forward toward Clark.

The strike was deflected by Pete's saber. "I don't think so, Luthor," Pete said from atop the table.

Lex struck hard, but Pete easily blocked. "Don't get in my way, Pete. This has to be done." With this, he attempted to push away Pete's saber with a hard thrust. The move failed as Pete's saber found itself at the base of Lex's neck. Lex was unfazed. "Nice moves, Ross. Try this one." Lex fell backwards to the floor, and kicked up on the table, sending Pete tumbling to the floor behind the table. He landed beside the gasping Clark.

Pete lightly punched Clark in the shoulder. "Hold in there, buddy. I'm about to repay you for all the time you've saved my ass."

Clark nodded through the burning pain, the acid green veins creeping up his neck.

Lois's screeching voice echoed loudly through the room. "Let go of me! Groo! Where the hell did you go?" Several tall Kenaki men held a struggling, kicking, and screaming Lois.

Chloe leapt up from her chair to aid Clark, but no sooner was she standing did a black rope suddenly wrap itself around her arms. Falling to the ground against the tight bonds, she found Lana, standing up with her whip in her hand and an apologetic frown on her face.

Chloe struggled against the binds. "Lana, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, but Lex knows what he's doing." Lana swallowed a lump in her voice, shaking her head guiltily.

After a quick examination of her mind, Chloe's jaw dropped. With a lowered brow and clenched teeth, she practically spit the acidic words out, "You _stupid_… LITTLE… GIRL!" Lana winced, but did not reply. Chloe simply kept on struggling and screamed every word. "The Kenaki _lied_ to you. Lex lied to you…" She took a few seconds to collect her breath when the realization dawned on her. With a softened voice, she added, "…even as he bedded you every night, every chance he got." There was a dramatic pause. "Girl, you've got stamina!" She said it with almost admiration.

Lois, struggling against her captors, stopped struggling to look stunned. Clark, aching in the presence of the dagger, glanced back and forth between Lex and Lana. He grimaced, from either the proximity to the kryptonite dagger or from Chloe's revelation.

Pete, now with both his saber and a small battleaxe out to defend himself against Lex's kryptonite blade and metallic saber, paused briefly to give Lex a probing look.

The bald man only returning a contented look, answering with a suave, "Can you blame me?"

With a thoughtful look, Pete replied casually, "Hey, no, I feel ya." Lex pulled his saber free and struck again, meeting Pete's thrust hard.

Chloe pulled against the rope. With the urgency apparent in her voice, she cried, "Lana, that blade will kill Clark."

Shaking her head, Lana replied calmly, "No, it won't. It's that stuff from the legend of Naman that doesn't hurt humans. It'll just take away Clark's powers! You as well as I know that Clark's too strong. This is only protection."

With desperate assurance and zero of the Lana's calmness, Chloe screamed, using every last breath of air in her lungs, "NO! Lana! You're wrong! Clark is not human! Clark is an alien! He _is_ Kal-El. And he has _always_ had these powers. And when Lex puts that dagger through his heart, he _will_ die. And Lex _knows_ that. The Kenaki know that, too." Lana's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Proditor with calm grace not befitting the situation stated, "Actually, Lanalang, Clo-ee is correct. We noticed that Clarkent, or Kal-El I should say, seemed rather affected by the aggression hormones that we spray in the battling arenas. He also was also rather intoxicated by Acuavitane wine, which passes right through Terrans. Plus, the resemblance between him and Jor-El was uncanny. We, as you Terrans say it, 'put two and two together.'"

Lex, seeing in slow motion, swore he could feel every molecule of adrenaline coursing through his veins. As an expert fencer, he immediately caught Pete's arm subtly shifting, preparing for a high blow. With more than plenty of time to mentally prepare, Lex spun with the steel blade arcing up and the kryptonite blade aiming for the hip. Pete took the bait and found himself with a painful jab in the leg as he deflected the steel but neglected the green stone. As Pete winced, Lex threw his right arm into Pete's shoulder, sending him crashing into the far table, which collapsed. Lex leapt back onto the center table, noticing Clark's spasms worsening as the blade neared him.

Tilting his head down as the green light flooded his shadowed face, he grinned menacingly. "Well, Kal-El. It looks like I'm about to save a planet or two front a hostile invasion." The table lurched under Clark's leg and Lex found himself unceremoniously crashing to the floor.

Chloe continued to scream at Lana, too fixated on the drama around her to release her whip, "You know what else Lex knows? He knows Proditor is actually Inali."

Once in seventh grade, Lana had forgotten to study for her history class, and was very embarrassed when her teacher asked her to tell the class about some guy named Benedict Arnold. She felt that way now. "Who?"

Lex pulled himself up. "Got to give you credit, Kal-El. You learn quickly." With this, Lex grabbed the center portion of the table and through the light material over his shoulder. He descended upon Clark.

It was at this moment Lois noticed that the Kenaki guard holding her had loosened their grip and were eyeing Proditor. With a quick yank, she freed herself, elbowing the two nearest warriors. She probably didn't even need to fly, but it was quite a spectacle to see her tackle Lana in mid-air.

As the ropes loosened from around her, Chloe leapt up and tackled Lex off of Clark, who with his last ounce of strength held the blade away from his heart. Since she weighed much less than Lex, she barely moved him off of Clark. He recovered quickly and the two wrestled adjacent to the struggling Clark.

Lois whistled gaily as she wrapped Lana's rope around its owner. As she was finishing her handiwork with the final knot, she sung to herself, "Around, over, under, over, turn, over and through. And that's, my dear," she sung to Lana as she slipped a finger through Lana's hair to whisper in her ear, "is how you tie a two half-hitches. Thank you, Daddy." She had little time to sing. The Kenaki guards were running towards her. Rolling her eyes with boredom, she disappeared. One by one, confused Kenaki guards found themselves thrown across the room, slammed into the walls, or flung into the ceiling.

Lex held down Chloe, who defiantly kicked at him. Neither paid attention to the glowing of Chloe's bracelet. Grimacing, he asked, "Just answer one question, Chloe. If you knew Clark was Kal-El, why are you defending him? Don't you know he was sent to Earth to conquer it?"

Chloe was able to wedge her knee into Lex's side and wiggle away. She tried to elbow him in the gut, but he proved too quick and attempted to put a choke hold on her, but she got in an arm which didn't allow him to squeeze. She replied, "Jor-El may have sent Clark to Earth to conquer it." She slammed her high-heeled foot onto Lex's toes, who winced enough for her to free herself. "Unfortunately for him," she continued as Lex grabbed her wrists. "Jonathan and Martha Kent raised him to defy such arrogance. A literary buff such as yourself…" She slammed herself into Lex, causing him to slam against the back wall, "…should appreciate the irony. _You_'re the one…" Lex slammed Chloe back onto the table. Her voice ragged, she finished, "…who wants to take over the world. That's why you wanted to help the Kenaki. They promised you their technology, right? Always have been a sucker for gadgets, haven't you, Lex?"

Lex spoke through his teeth now. "Chloe, that clairvoyance of yours is really starting to get on my nerves." Of the three tables that made the horseshoe of a front table, Chloe found herself being thrown into the last of them standing. Lex then proceeded to throw his metallic saber in the air, which struck a floating, celebrating Lois on the back of the head, causing her to fall five feet to the ground. Proditor emerged from hiding behind a curtain and surveyed the unconscious Lois.

"Is it true?" The voice came from behind Proditor, and it belonged to Beipanzhe. "Is it true that you are Inali?"

Proditor pulled a knife from his belt. "No," he replied, "at least it was untrue until this moment." Proditor's blade was soon lunged into Beipanzhe's stomach.

Beipanzhe, from the ground, asked, "But why?" Black blood bled from the wound.

"It should not have happened like this. But we were meant to be the superior race of this galaxy." With this, he took his booted foot and placed it on his companion's head, pressing it to the ground.

Lex, sensing his finest hour, reverently lifted the blade above Clark's heart. Clark was losing his last thread of consciousness. Lex swiftly lowered the blade, only to have his wrist yanked back by Chloe. He elbowed her away, noting that even the bleeding temple and the dislocated wrist held tightly to her chest had not prevented Chloe from attacking. "Why, Chloe? You can't love a freak this much. Look, he's not human, no matter how much you tell yourself that. These people have studied his kind! He'd outlive you by far! He'd never be able to give you children! He will always be an outsider."

"My kind of guy." Chloe jumped forward and tried to wrestle the blade from Lex's hand. The much stronger man easier slammed her on top of the unconscious Clark, who winced but did not wake. Lex then could not ignore the glowing of Chloe's bracelet, which impaired his vision. Without knowing what was happening, he slammed his fist into Chloe, and the glowing of both Chloe's bracelet and the kryptonite blade disappeared. Lex looked down. Chloe's face was blank and the hilt of his blade rested flush against Chloe breast.

- - -

Tawodi would accept no charity in his earning of the position of chief. "Are there any more challengers for the hand of Saasa? If so, let them challenge me."

"I accept," came a single voice in the crowd. Sageeth stood proudly and walked toward the ring.

Wehali approached the warrior. "Sageeth, you are truly one of the wisest braves I know. If you were interested in pursuing my daughter's hand, why did you not speak up before?"

Sageeth replied gravely, "I am much older than Saasa. And I have already lost two wives to strange circumstances. I truly believed that Naman was the best man for Saasa. But I do respect his decision to be with Walelu. It is well-known that Tawodi and I have never seen eye-to-eye, but I will gladly give him my blessing if he defeats me in combat. I only want to fulfill Saasa's wish that the greatest warrior in the tribe would be her bridegroom."

Sageeth then moved to Kalel. "Naman, we are good friends. You have already given Tawodi your approval. Might I too have it?"

A conflicted grimace was evident on Kalel's face. "You cheered the loudest for me in my trials to claim Saasa. But if you have such love for Saasa as I once had, I can only give you the same support you gave to me."

"Thank you, my friend."

Tawodi was weary after a long day of fighting, but he still had the same burning in his eye as he battled Sageeth. To the crowd, it was an engaging fight. To Kalel, it was an enigma. His well-trained warrior eyes, able to watch the battle as if it were occurring ten times slower, counted dozens of mistakes on the part of Tawodi, which translated to dozens of opportunities for Sageeth to soundly defeat Tawodi. Sageeth merely did not take them. But as the fight raged on, Sageeth finally took his opportunity. Pushing forward, he caught Tawodi mid-stride with a side swipe, which the strong warrior easily deflected, but at the cost of stepping off-balance. With a quick slap to the leg with his branch, Sageeth send Tawodi tumbling to the ground just inside the circle. Cursing his failed attempt to dislodge Tawodi, Sageeth stepped back and waited for Tawodi to get back up. Only the warrior did not; he simply lay on his back.

"Tawodi, rise. Surely you are not ready to yield? I will not take the title so effortlessly."

Tawodi's only reply was a groan. Sageeth kneeled down to assess Tawodi's strange behavior when he noticed the pool of red liquid growing from underneath Tawodi. As his face filled with horror, he cried out for the tribe to assist him in helping Tawodi up. It was quickly discovered that a stray piece of wood had stabbed Tawodi in the middle of his back.

Kalel looked through his former rival's skin and flesh to notice a small section of branch tangled with the snake-shaped innards of Tawodi. When he revealed his findings to the tribe, Myora gave her diagnosis: "The branch has tangled itself with his spirit. To remove it would prematurely rip it from his body."

Overnight, the skin around the wound began to turn unnatural colors: yellow, green, purple, and finally black. That morning, as sweat dripped down his face, Myora announced that evil spirits had entered Tawodi's body and that she had prepared his spirit to move on into the Ghost Realm.

Tawodi's last wish was to see Sageeth and Saasa.

"Sageeth, I yield to you. Please, take care of Saasa." At the mention of her name, Saasa was unable to hold back the tears anymore.

"This was not meant to happen," Sageeth stated.

"Kalel was never meant to fall from the sky. You were never meant to challenge me in battle. Sageeth, if I have learned anything, it's that the spirits have lost their control over the ways things are 'meant to be.' It is up to you take charge of your future. Protect our people."

As Sageeth walked out of the tent, Saasa clung tightly to him, weeping. "He's gone…"

On the full moon following Saasa's seventeenth spring, the largest banquet the Koga had ever held took place to celebrate the joining of the chief's two daughters to the two greatest warriors in the tribe. The bonfire burned for hours as in their jubilee the dancers danced long past the setting of the sun.

Myora presided over the naming ceremony. Saasa was christened with the epithet of Rayen, an honor she'd long awaited. Sageeth, her husband, was christened Uwache, the chief-in-waiting. Kalel was also christened with the name Uwache, to signify his wisdom training, though all found it more fitting to call him by the epithet of Naman. Walelu was christened Loral, the new chieftess-in-waiting for the second tribe. Dayak was awarded a ceremonial tomahawk in honor of his acceptance of his role as Naman's protector.

A new day had dawned.

- - -

Lex let go of the hilt. It rolled off Chloe's Shaman's Eye bracelet-clad wrist, only a few clear shards of crystal still attached. The rest of the now glass-like blade was in pieces around Clark and Chloe. The stunned Lex was abruptly pulled off Chloe and slammed into the wall by Groo.

Chloe commented sarcastically to her rescuer, "Well, _now_ you're here. Some warrior proxy you are."

"I apologize, Miss Sullavin." Even as Lex struggled, Groo held tight to his wrists and awkwardly started to tie rope around his wrists.

Chloe sighed, and then realized that she was still lying on top of Clark. Smacking his cheek, she called, "C'mon, Clark, wake up."

Clark drowsily groaned, but opened his eyes, smiling as Chloe's face came into view. He shot up, Chloe moving away just quickly enough as not to collide with his iron head. He calmed significantly when he saw Groo successfully tying Lex to the table. Both Clark and Chloe, who was now is his lap, jerked away as Lana approached, but she simply passed by them to stand before Lex. "Did you know that knife would have _killed_ Clark? Did you?" she pressed. She also pressed with her hands.

"Yes," Lex replied stoically. Lana's face crunched up, but he cut her off, "Lana, I'm sorry I lied to you about that, but everything else was true. Clark's not human. He is an alien from a planet called Krypton, a militaristic race that sent him to conquer Earth."

Lana didn't turn around. " Clark?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'militaristic' but my people are—were very stoic and intellectual. I was sent to conquer, but I'm not going to."

Lex screamed, "Kal-El, how can you be so naïve? You're powers are going to grow exponentially. Trust me, when you have that power, you're gonna find it hard to resist the temptation."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Chloe cut in.

Lex ignored her, "I intend to spend my every waking moment making sure that doesn't happen, Kal-El."

Lana wasn't finished. "What about the Inali thing? Did you know about that?"

"I haven't the slightest clue what Chloe was talking about."

"Perhaps I could fill you in," Proditor stated. Clark rose, ready to defend. Chloe ran over to check on Pete, who was awake, but his thigh was bleeding and he had wrapped a tablecloth around it. She eyed Lois, but saw her unconscious form behind Proditor. "You see," he continued, "Inali is a myth on our planet. Legend has it that he will rise up and kill many Kenaki people, and then he will take over the planet. Actually, Miss Sullavin appears to be a prophet. It wasn't until a few minutes ago that I realized I myself was Inali. Quite exciting actually. So, want to hear the dastardly plan I just invented? Since I am in control of the force fields surrounding the tables…" He held up a remote control. "That means I can not only block the door, but protect myself from everyone in the room, including Kal-El. I shall merely escape to the transport room that we prepared for Lek, Lanalang, and my compatriots to escape. It appears the traveling party has shrunk to one. The palace will self-destruct and you'll all perish. Now, Kal-El, it's possible you'll survive, but all your friends will be dead, and you'll be stuck on a planet of hostile forces with no way to get home."

Lex screamed out through his teeth, "You're a traitor."

"As is Inali supposed to be. Your job, Lek-Sluthore was to kill Kal-El. You have failed. You are now expendable. _I_ am victorious."

"Your plan has one flaw," came a unfamiliar, high voice. Proditor looked down to see on of the small servants looking up defiantly at him.

"Slave, you test your obedience." He reached to his belt and squeezed a mechanical device. As far as anyone could see, nothing happened. Proditor looked very disturbed at this development.

"Proditor, you fool; you killed the only other person with the controls to our electric collars." He tilted his neck to show that he no longer wore a collar.

"Regardless, you can touch me. I'm protected by a force field."

"Would that be the same force field that's powered by the generator we just destroyed?" The small creature wrapped a leather strap around Proditor's ankle and pressed a button on a remote control similar to the on Proditor's belt, causing the taller creature to fall to the ground in pain. The servant placed another collar around his neck, pressed the button again, and caused Proditor to pass out.

Suddenly, dozens more of the small servant creatures raced into the room. Most of them swarmed around the fallen Kenaki, tying them up. A few others started to attend medically to Lois, Pete, and Chloe. A couple of others took Lex from Groo, and one tied up Lana, who passively let them.

Lex screamed out. "This is not how the legend was supposed to go. Sageeth was supposed to be able to defeat Naman!"

The small alien who defeated Proditor replied, "Mr. Luthor, our enslavers fed you lies that they spent years convincing themselves of. You apparently do not know the whole story of Naman and Sageeth. Yes, Sageeth had the power to defeat Naman, but in the end he failed. Listen to true tale."

- - -

Five more springs had passed since the marriages of the daughters of the Koga tribe. Rayen and Loral's father had died, and both Naman and Sageeth became the chiefs of their respective tribes. Saasa bore Sageeth two children: a son Sageeth had named Konel—it was a name suggested by Naman, from his home world in the heavens—though the pair decided to call him Tawodi in memory of the great warrior; and a daughter, Woya, the bird of peace, named after Sageeth's mother. Loral had born her husband no children and Naman feared that his unearthly origins were the cause.

One day, Sageeth journeyed to Naman's side of the river. At first, he was welcomed warmly by his best friend, but soon Naman found himself on the ground as Sageeth stood above him, wielding the blade of green stone given to him by Naman himself seasons ago. While his betrayal was surprising, it did not stop Dayak from defending his master. The older Sageeth was a more experienced fighter and was able to wound Dayak. While the wounds would heal in time, Dayak was too hurt to aid his chief and friend.

From the ground, Naman cried, "Sageeth, why are you doing this?"

"Why do you think, Naman? You are a god among men. You will surely conquer all tribes."

"I have no such desires, my friend. I wish only to be a peaceful and helpful race."

"Your intentions are good, but you are naïve. Have you not heard of the Mexica tribes of the South? They have built a great empire because they are powerful. I alone have the power to stop you from your inevitable reign of power."

Sageeth took the blade and swung it down at Naman's heart. Before it could reach its destination, Loral jumped in front of the blade, trying to block it, but the blade instead became lodged in her heart. Sageeth released the blade and stepped back, watching as Naman's wife started to bleed profusely from the chest. A sudden bright light blinded his view, as the turquoise bracelet on Loral's hand, a wedding gift from her mate, began to glow like the sun.

After the light receded, Loral now stood tall, and Naman joined her. The blade, now clear instead of green, lay on the ground, the sharp tip chipped off.

"How is this possible?"

Myora emerged from his tent. "Foolish Sageeth. I imbued that bracelet with many blessings."

Loral continued, "My love for Naman has saved me through the power of my bracelet. The great spirits protect me. I can hear them whispering in my ear."

Sageeth fled his tribal grounds, racing into the morning sun for days until he reached a great river where he joined another tribe of powerful warriors.

Many moons passed, and stories of the Koga tribes reached the Great River tribe. Dayak had been appointed chief of Sageeth's former tribe. Loral bore a daughter for her husband, named Saasa. Sageeth found his own name had been cursed by the Koga, and it now meant traitor. But soon, messengers brought strange stories. Loral found herself able to become the mountain lion, the very animal her epithet was derived from. Her daughter, upon her coming of age, earned the ability to become a lovely songbird. Dayak's son, Kalel, married her.

The people of Sageeth's tribe were terrified. "Surely, they must be _kawatche_!" _Skinwalkers._ By winter, Naman's tribe had adopted this name.

The news of Myora's passing brought hope to Sageeth, who hoped with the shaman's death, he could conquer Naman once and for all. Once again, after more than a generation, he journeyed to the Koga lands, hoping to find some of the green rock which would allow him to kill Naman.

Naman found him in a prairie, the very spot where the tournament for Saasa's hand had taken place so many seasons ago. Since his exile, Sageeth had developed a limp and his eyes were beginning to fail him. His hair was silvery and sparse. Naman, on the other hand, had a full head of silvery hair. He skin showed the lines of age, but he stood tall and strong as the day Sageeth fled his traibe. Naman still spoke with the same timber he always had. "Sageeth, give it up. Loral used her bracelet on all of the green stones. The only one left is a small piece in her heart."

"Then truly, there is no one in the world who can stop you."

"Wrong. Before his death, Myora used some of the cave stone to cast a new dagger. The one who holds it will be given my power. Dayak holds it."

"I will not rest until I place my hand on that dagger."

"I would not. If you, or any other warrior deserving of the name Sageeth, is to ever place his hand upon that blade, it will turn to dust, and _then_ truly will I have no equal. Now, leave this land. You are not welcome."

- - -

Clark turned to face the small creature, Woyi, the leader. He walked proudly, giving no indication that he was intimidated by Clark towering over him. He asked, "Wait, so _you_ are the Kenaki people?"

He nodded, "Yes, Clark, we are. These people took over our kingdom many years ago and enslaved us. They put these collars around our necks."

Clark nodded, "But why wait until now?"

"We never had the opportunity. Plus, it was long-known that the Champions would save us."

Clark laughed. "So, in other words, Jor-El actually did send us here to rescue the Kenaki. I feel bad for partying so long."

"All is forgiven, son of Jor-El. Soon our society will be rebuilt, thanks to you and the Champions."

"I can't see how you can say that. Lex was a traitor. And Lana, she blindly followed him."

"Had Lex not been here, Proditor would never have had become so megalomaniacal. It was his undoing."

"One thing I don't understand. How did Chloe not realize the… your captors… well weren't actually… you, the real Kenaki?"

"Our captors… the name of their race they themselves have forgotten… they are strong of mind. They were easily able to deflect your friend's empathy."

"Oh. Wait, Chloe's my…" The small Kenaki man gave Clark an unmistakable smirk. "You know?"

"We too are strong of mind."

Clark looked queasy. "You can't tell what's going through my mind right now, can you?"

"If I desired so, I could. I'm not, out of respect. But, you _are_ the one who brought her up…"

Clark sneered at Woyi, but his expression turned to embarrassed admission.

"I suppose then," he said to Clark, "that you're ready to return to Earth?"

"Yes, our families will be looking for us. But, what about Lex?"

"Fear not. We have a potion that will make his memories hazy for the last few days. He'll believe it was nothing more than a dream."

"You underestimate Lex's paranoia."

Woyi paused. "It would be no trouble for us to imprison him here."

"No, that won't work. You see, Lex is a very important and famous person back on Earth. If we go back without him, it will arouse suspicion. And his father will waste precious resources attempting to find his son."

Woyi seemed prepared to respond, but he was interrupted by Pete racing to meet them, and, though out of breath, delivered his message, "We've got a problem. Lex has escaped."

- - -

Lois kept her head downcast as she spoke to Groo, who stood very near her. "So," she began uncomfortably, "I guess you're going back to Pylea?"

"No, I am a slave there. The Kenaki are benevolent and will have nothing of it."

"So," she started suggestively, "maybe you could come back with me."

"I'm afraid not." Lois backed away and grimaced, so he added, reaching for her hand, "At least not immediately. Lois," his pronunciation of her name was still off-kilter, though Lois grinned anyway, "I care deeply for you, but… I am bound by a code of honor. If I do not go out and save lives, like how my own life was saved, I could scarcely live with myself."

"I always was a sucker for the selfless, stalwart, and valiant."

"I'm afraid we never adopted those words on Pylea."

Lois was forced to laugh. "You have 'heroic' right?" Groo nodded, but Lois averted her gaze again.

Groo took another step forward toward her, "Trust me. I couldn't go forever without you."

"Don't go mushy on me now."

There was a knock. "Am I interrupting anything?" came Chloe's meek voice.

A firm "yes" was Lois's initial reply. There was an exchange of glances between the cousins, and Lois relented. "Alright."

Standing before Groo, she slid off her bracelet. "As my warrior proxy, I think you're supposed to hold on to this."

Groo took the bracelet, but also Chloe's left hand. "Milady, this is your betrothal gift from your husband. It belongs to you. Whenever I am to take your place in battle, I will wear with honor."

" Clark's not really my husband. There was a mix-up or something."

Groo's brow lowered in puzzlement, but he insisted, "You should still keep it, Clo-ee. Clark thinks very highly of you."

"Still doesn't make it a proposal." She slid the bracelet onto her wrist and stroked it softly.

- - -

The transport room was circular, with a fifteen-foot tablet in the center, covered in thick glass. Around the edges of the wall, near the door was a long, elaborate control panel which Lex looked at frenziedly.

"Lex, it's not worth it."

Lex turned to see Lana standing in the doorway of the transport room.

"You escaped?"

"They let me free, Lex. Said I was just 'a pawn in your little game.'"

Lex's voice remained uptight. "Lana, listen, I'm sorry I deceived you. I truly care for you, but Kal-El is dangerous, and I knew you couldn't handle the severity of killing him." Lana remained quiet. Lex continued, "Do they know where I am?"

"Lex, the whole place is looking for you. You're gonna be found."

"And you're going to let them?"

"Where am I going to hide you? Lex, I feel betrayed by Clark, too…"

"His name is Kal-El. Clark Kent is just a secret identity."

"Okay, Lex, hear me out. We get back to Earth and you start spouting about how Clark is an alien. I seem to recall the last time that happened, you found yourself in Belle Reeve."

Lex took Lana's hand, "Not if you corroborate."

"Lex, even if both of us start spouting that we're abductees or whatever, we've been missing for several days. They've got words for that. 'Shared psychological disorder' or something."

"A _folie à deux_? That's not quite Psych 101."

"I watched _The X-Files_ with Chloe when she lived with me. The point is… what good will it do?"

Lex grabbed her arms and shook her, "It could stop Kal-El from taking over the planet! I have resources, Lana. We know his weaknesses. We can study him."

"Study him? My God, Lex, Clark used to be your friend! You want to turn him into a lab rat? This isn't you."

"Actually, Lana, this is very much Lex." Pete stood idly at the door. "Never figured _you_'d start jonesin' after Baldy here. Guess some guys just got that psychopathic allure that women dig. Don't try anything Lex. I don't care how fast you can move, I'm armed and you're not. And I've got backup."

- - -

Chloe ran up to Clark, who was pacing in their shared room. "Lex is loose?"

"The Kenaki are turning the place up-side-down looking for him. It appears Beipanzhe had a surprise up his sleeve. He gave Lex some sort of device that disarms the handcuffs. They want me to stay away because they don't know if he's armed with kryptonite." Clark shuffled restlessly from one foot to the other.

"And it looks like you think you're missing out on the fun."

Clark stood still. "I partially blame you. Lex is dangerous. And with you constantly pushing me into the search for truth, justice, and that kind of thing… add that to my savior-guilt complex. I always want to be part of the action. Is there something wrong with me."

"Plenty. Just nothing you just said. In fact, you kinda just told me you want be a hero. Some of us like that kind of thing in a guy." She smiled coyly.

Clark paused and commented, "You've still got the bracelet. I thought you were going to give it to Groo."

Chloe's smile fell, apparently not getting the response she was hoping for. She replied, "Wouldn't take it. Says it's my betrothal gift from you."

"We oughta tell him we're not married."

"I did. I think he's still holding out for us."

Clark just swallowed in response. "Everyone's a romantic." Chloe didn't know how he pulled it off, but she didn't notice Clark's arm moving until she felt him slide his hand into hers.

Chloe didn't reply. She simply stepped towards Clark, standing only inches from him and tilted her head to look straight into his eyes. Taking the hint, he stepped forward, closing any distance left between them, and tilted his head forward.

"Clark, Chloe," Woyi stated, standing at the door. Chloe turned her head away, a frustrated smirk on her face. With a sigh, Clark nodded. "We captured Lex in the transport room. We are bringing the serum for him and Lana."

Chloe turned. "Lana?"

"She led us to Lex, but now she's refusing to cooperate. She won't allow us to erase Lex's memories. So, we're going to erase hers, too."

Lex and Lana stood on the far side of the transport room, embracing as they shot suspicious glances toward the half-dozen Kenaki guarding them. Woyi, Clark, and Chloe approached Pete, who was watching from outside the door.

"Hey, guys, you're missing the action."

With concern, Clark asked, "They said they're going to drug Lana, too?"

"Yeah, I know. The plan is to have Lois go invisible and use some kind of syringe on them."

Chloe was almost incredulous. "But Lana?"

"She's still convinced she can talk Lex out of revealing your secret. Look, it's not like she's gonna care about us erasing her memories _after_ we drug her." He paused to look at Chloe's wrist. "Hey, Chlo, you're glowing again."

Initially, Chloe's hand moved to her stomach. But, after realizing what Pete meant, she shook off the thought, and stared at her wrist, hoping no one had noticed her brief confusion. "Uh, that could mean anything."

Suddenly, the glassy top of the round platform that dominated the room began to glow like Chloe's bracelet. The Kenaki guards fled the room, passing Lois, who turned invisible. "I'm going in," her disembodied voice announced.

Clark, Chloe, and Pete chased after Lois, hoping to protect her from whatever was happening with the tablet in the room.

A second later, the entire room flashed with a sudden blinding light and all six of the Champions of Kal-El were gone.

Woyi stood solemnly. "Who activated the transporter?"

"It activated on its own. They were sent back to Earth. I think it was the Loral bracelet," one of the technicians stated.

"Was Lois successfully in drugging Lex and Lana?" His question was answered when one of the guards brought back the two syringes, still filled with the yellow liquid. "Then good luck, Champions."

- - -

A dozen FBI agents carrying metal detectors, X-ray goggles, and other high-tech devices deliberately and determinedly searched every square inch of the Kawatche caves. Many took notes and pictures of the various petroglyphs. Outside the caves, behind yellow police tape, were at least fifteen officers of Smallville PD, holding back a crowd of about fifty reporters from various Kansas and national television stations and newspapers. Lionel Luthor spoke with one of the officers, and with Martha Kent in tow, slipped into the cave.

A stocky man with a moustache and FBI jacket turned, "Mr. Luthor, please, we're trying to work here."

"I understand. I'm not trying to interfere; we just want to have our sons back. Please, just a short update."

The agent sighed. "Still no leads. We're doing our best."

Lionel nodded and turned around. Martha pulled away and thanked the agent.

"You're welcome, Sen. Kent. Now, please, if anything happens, you'll be the first to know."

"Hey, Zolomon," an agent called from the far side of a cave, "we just got a huge surge of ultra-high frequency radiation from behind this wall."

"My men in danger, Flores?"

"Nah, we're not made of the right molecules for this stuff to affect us. But there's something funky goin' on behind this wall."

"We're standing in a federally protected area. We can't knock out that wall unless we can prove there's something behind that wall worth digging for. Get an X-ray on it. I want to know what's happening in that cavern."

* * *

A/N: I know. I'm a horrible author for making you wait two months. School started up again is all I can say. But I'm making it up to you. I briefly mentioned a sequel to this story? I promise to write it. 

Oh, by the way, chlark lover, good call on Groo being Chloe's warrior proxy. While the direction that I was taking the story wouldn't have allowed for another adventure where Groo would officially have to take on the epithet of Loral and the bracelet, your deduction was beyond brilliant. In fact, the companion fic with feature this idea. I wanted to see the first few episodes of Season 6 first, to get a flavor for certain characters. Expect a lot more straight-forward action, more dramatic romantic tension, and hopefully a compelling plot.

Oh, and I _totally_ beat the writers to the Sexana, didn't I?

By the way, as readers of at least half-decent (I hope) _Smallville_ fanfiction, surely all of you must have discovered the clearly superior kdsch123, right? If not, I encourage you to go check out her work. It's incredible. And she writes Chlark. Usually. Make sure not to read any of my reviews of her work, because I was in overzealous critic mode when I read them, and it has only managed to sully her name.

Also, I'm holding a contest. I hid a reference to _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ in this story (besides Groo). The reviewer that correctly identifies the reference _or_ identifies who I made to be the original Naman will be turned into a character for my next fic.

(Sonriso) - Holy Q-word! Everything _did_ go down. Not enough Hot!Chloe, though.

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Tuesday, August 22, 2006. Finished Friday, October 20, 2006.


	8. Spectacle

The Champions of Kal-El: Spectacle  
by Creedog VanDrey

Category: _Smallville_  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Humor  
Rating: K+  
Language: English  
Summery: The Champions of Kal-El, the team now splintered, are returned back to Earth.  
Spoilers: Nothing in particular, but assumes general knowledge to about mid-Season 5, up to perhaps Void. Sneak peak at the end which involves possible spoilers through Arrow.

A/N: So, anyway, I've been watching the first few episodes of Season 6, and I have to say, to a small extent, the Chlimmy relationship is fulfilling a few of my clauses. 1. Clark _did_ come back with an interest in pursuing a relationship, though Chloe pulled yet another defense-mechanism friends card. Big surprise. 2. Clark, to a small extent, does seem a tad jealous of Jimmy. More so, he's developing a crush of Chloe, and just isn't at the point where he's willing to fight for Chloe. I can accept that for now, especially since we have serious Chloe and Clark scoobying. I love that. I think that if Chloe had found out ages ago and they'd done these types of plots in earlier seasons, the show would have worked out better. 3. While not full-blown yet, there're serious indications that the Chlimmy will be threatened by Chlark friendship and scoobying. In fact, Jimmy has been absent from the last few episodes, and I kind of dig what effect it has on the scenes with Clark and Chloe in them.

Though, problems. They're making Chlimmy kinda naughty. Rewind for a moment. Chloe _regrets_ her hookup with Jimmy. If Chloe wants to start a relationship with Jimmy, it had better start from scratch and develop the right way. I don't like screaming "Slut!" at my television screen.

Unless it's Lana. Then I'm smiling as I do it. Which brings me to my next point: Why does everyone hate the Lexana? I found that penultimate scene of "Wither" to be very hot. Frankly, I didn't realize that Lex and Lana weren't intimate yet. This kind of development could easily turn me into a Lexaner. And who is this Lana from "Arrow?" And can she replace the mopey pink princess with a thecreth and lieth complex? (You'll note I've been perusing the TWoP boards.)

I guess since I've commented on the Chlimmy and the Lexana, it's only fair I examine the Lollie. (We've _got_ to think of a better name.) I'm really surprised by Oliver. I know this guy's actually supposed to be Aquaman, but he brings a rather interesting edge to the rich guy scenario. It's a take-no-crap attitude that leaves both Lois and Chloe lacking. I kind of like it. Hell, he's worthy of courting Lois in a way I don't think Clark will ever be. And boy does he keep his double identity secret better than Clark.

* * *

Chapter 8: Spectacle

Lex and Lana were in the same embrace as when they left the transport room. They now found themselves in the circular cavern of the Kawatche caves. Lois was floating above the table, looking at her empty hands in confusion. Pete, Chloe, and Clark stood on the opposite side of the room.

"Hey, Jor-El," Lex called defiantly, "why don't you let us out so I can reveal your son's destiny to the world? I hear you want to make him an emperor."

A bolt of lightning shot out from the table and struck Lex. He fell to his knees with Lana quickly dropping to his side. Lois quickly glided away from the table.

"Insolent human! It amazes me how quickly you would betray my son as Sageeth did Naman."

"Clark!" Lana cried, "You've got to stop your dad from doing this!"

Indecision raced across Clark's face as his two best friends stood beside him, tacitly giving his their support. "Jor-El. There has to be another way. You don't have to hurt him."

"There are Earth men on the other side of this wall, my son. Powerful men. If Lex were to get to them, your secret will be revealed prematurely, Kal-El. You might not fulfill your destiny."

"Powerful men?" Lex grinned evilly. "Got to hand it to you, Dad. Probably brought in the feds. Kal-El, I hope you like having your face plastered on the front page of every major newspaper in the world."

The table sparked and everyone took a step backwards.

"How ironic it is that only in the fracturing of your fellowship that you were capable of fulfilling your mission. There may be a time when another planet, another race, is in peril, and you will be called upon again. What then shall you do?" Clark and Lex were about to reply at the same time, but neither got the chance as Jor-El continued, "Regardless, this was great entertainment for me. Truly a spectacle. You know I have nothing to do in these caves or the Fortress. Quite boring as you can imagine. Yes, I will call upon the Champions again. Now, I will undo what I have done, if only I can enjoy the next chapter in your adventures."

"Whoa!" Lois cried. "You mean you're taking about my powers? I was kind of looking forward to the low cost air fare. And the invisibility? I can think of all kinds of uses for that. Take the Sharks' locker room…"

"Silence! I fear I have done you all a great disservice. I have endangered all your lives by giving you abilities. There is only one solution that I believe will truly repair the damages I have done."

- - -

Clark, Chloe, and Pete looked around. They were now at the entrance of the larger cavern of the Kawatche caves. The "powerful men" Jor-El mentioned were absent. As they peered down, they noticed that their strange alien costumes had been transformed into jeans, casual clothes, and backpacks. Chloe looked down at her wrist, finding not the Shaman's Eye bracelet, but instead a few normal bracelets and her watch, which she stared at with a perplexed expression.

"What just happened?" Chloe asked.

"I think the Big J just send us two days into the past." Pete replied, noting his own watch.

Clark looked from Pete to Chloe, "So, you guys remember…?"

Chloe finished his thought, "Costumes, quests, zipping through the universe, sandy desert, giant castle, big parties, tall enslavers, betrayal, big fights, and last-minute crisis situations?" She took a moment to inhale, before continuing, "Sound familiar? Yeah. And, my watch agrees with Pete's. Jor-El did say he was gonna reverse things."

"I'm just kind of annoyed that he can still reverse time." Clark took one step forward but stopped. "Lex and Lana are in there. They're talking about… school."

Chloe finished the thought, "Not, you know, how the tall Kansas farmboy is a really super-powered alien with whom they just completed a rather amusing but thrilling quest to save an alien race… pretending to be another alien race which in reality they had enslaved? During which time they started a very—shall we say—up close and personal relationship?" Clark nodded in response, impressed by her mastery of words. "Well, what do you want to do?"

Clark tilted his head with a pensive look. "Pete," he said, "the Fortress is going to be there for a while. Wanna get a bite to eat?"

"Sounds good to me," he responded amicably.

The three spun around in unison and walked out the cave, Chloe rubbing her wrist as if something were missing there. "Gee, let's get going. This pack feels like it's full of rocks."

Clark took a short step, allowing Pete and Chloe to get ahead of him, and on a whim, activated his X-ray vision. The packs were tightly packed with cold weather gear: coats, winter hand, ski gloves, but some denser objects caught his eye: in Pete's pack there was what looked remarkably like a tomahawk; and in Chloe's, a metal bracelet with a very distinctive and familiar jewel. Clark smiled.

On their way out, they ran into Lois walking towards them.

"Hey, guys, I heard these caves were the social center of town." She paused expectantly, and after a moment of exchanging meaningful glances among themselves, Pete, Chloe, and Clark turned to Lois.

"Well, Lo, someone lied to you," Chloe replied. "Now, there is a new pizza place off of Main Street that just opened called Bo's. I'm pretty sure it'll be a livelier scene than some old, historical Indian caves."

"Sounds great. So, you gonna introduce me to your friend?"

Chloe turned to Pete and lowered her eyebrows at the strange request before the realization hit her. Nodding, she asked, "Pete, you've not met my cousin, have you?"

"Don't believe so." He extended his hand, and politely commented with a large smile, "Pete Ross; it's a pleasure to meet you."

- - -

"Oh, that is so sweet! I had no idea you could be so romantic." Chloe swooned, as Pete finished telling about his first date with his girlfriend. He rolled his eyes at Chloe's unusual sense of drama.

"I don't know how she stands you," Clark teased.

"More like how she resists me. According to the last survey I took, I believe I'm the only one who's not single." Pete smiled overconfidently as the friends laughed. His eyes scanned the two of them, but a hard look at Chloe diverted his eyes away.

Chloe took another sip of her fountain drink. "Look, I'm gonna go wash my hands. The pizza'll probably be out any second."

"Good idea. I probably should, too," Clark added.

As they got up and walked into the hallway towards the restrooms, suspicious glances appeared on Lois's and Pete's faces, and they quickly noted the other one's expression.

"What are you thinking?" Lois led.

Pete calculated his response, "Uh, that Clark doesn't usually wash his hands before he eats. He's convinced he's got some kind of super immune system."

"Huh, I always figured Mrs. Kent would have drilled that kindergarten lesson into his head."

"Why're _you_ looking so Velma?" Pete countered.

Lois took a moment to unravel the Scooby reference before replying. "Well," she began, reaching down to rummage through Chloe's purse, "I know for a fact that Chloe _despises_ public restrooms, which is why she carries _this_ around." She plopped a small bottle of liquid hand sanitizer on the table. Suggestively, she asked, "You don't think…? I mean, _Smallville_?"

"Well, Clark—as those of us whose families have _also_ lived in this town for generations, like to call him—he'll surprise you at times." Lois found herself unable to deny this claim. The two of them paused, looked up at each other, and simultaneously got up from the table and snuck a peek down the hallway. With wide eyes, they returned to the table, speechless. Pete swallowed before stating, "Well, I never figured Clark of all people would be…"

"You got that right." A firm sense of disbelief captured Lois's face. "Now, granted, I haven't been in town for a couple of days, but the last time I was here…"

"Look, that's my buddy Clark for ya. A couple of days came make all the difference in the world." Pete's words trailed off as he looked at something behind Lois. There was a man, mid-twenties, about six foot tall, with tan skin and short black hair approaching the table. Lois spun around and her mouth dropped.

The man reached out his hand. "Excuse me, miss, but my have we met before?"

A brief flash of remembrance coursed through Lois's brain, but she found herself unable to place the man's face. She strongly wished she could. Taking his hand, she replied distantly, "Lois Lane."

"Mark. My friends call me Groo, though." Lois didn't flinch at the strange nickname, lost in his green eyes. "Don't ask," he added

"About what…?" Lois replied distantly.

"Listen," he continued, "they've got music playing the next room. Perhaps I could interest you in a dance?"

With a wide grin, Lois jumped up. "Sure!" She didn't even turn to look back at Pete.

As they walked away, Mark turned his head. "Hello, Peetros. Good to see you again." He bowed his head as he led Lois away.

Pete laughed to himself as the waitress came by to deliver the pizza. When she tried to lay the Veggie Lover's pizza in front of him, he motioned for her to leave it on the other side of the table so she could leave the sausage-and-pineapple close to him.

"Your friends?" she asked.

"They'll be back in a minute."

There was a screech from the back end of the restaurant and another waitress walked up to Pete's table. To the other waitress, she commented, "Cherie, you remember that story I told you about, from back when I worked at the Talon? It's _them_ again." The two women walked away, leaving Pete to chuckle to himself. He picked up a slice of pizza and as he brought it to his mouth, a clip of a Remy Zero song directed him to his cell phone. Laying his slice down, and picked up the phone, smiling at the name on the screen. He flipped it open, leaned back and answered, "Hey, Baby, I was just talking about you."

- - -

In room 222 of the Gordon Residential Hall of Metropolis University, a small object lay on the magenta comforter of one of the dorm's two beds. The object was bright red, made out of plastic, and shaped like a handle of sorts. On one end was a rectangular metal plate that crackled softly against the built-up static on the sheets.

- - -

In the upstairs apartment of the Talon Coffeeshop in Smallville, Kansas, a gown of sorts, composed entirely of leathery straps of various lengths and widths rested atop the wide dresser in the apartment's bedroom.

- - -

Martha Kent pulled a perfectly browned apple pie from the oven and sat it down on the counter. She opened the refrigerator to check on the milk supply, knowing that when her son returned home and caught a whiff of the freshly baked pie, a cold glass of two-percent would be a necessity. However, something caught her attention: a decanter made out of darkly tinted red-violet glass. She pulled out the rubbery stopper and took a whiff of the unfamiliar container. Some watery liquid sloshed around inside, smelling distinctly of raspberries.

- - -

Three miles away, at the Luthor Mansion, there was a strange book resting atop the metallic art-deco desk in the library-study. Unlike the leather-bound books with parchment pages that lined the walls, the pages of this book were made from a thick, clear plastic, bound by a shiny, black plastic. On the cover of this book were two lines of text, dramatically engraved in silver. The first line was written in an unearthy language, a strange mix of circles, polygons, and dots. The other was composed of Latin characters, written in English, stating: "The History of Krypton."

- - -

Maddinai, or Maddie as she liked to be called, rolled out of her bed. She shook her head, causing the mess of carmine-hued tresses to sway. She pawed at her hair, hoping to get it to lie down, but not worrying terribly about it. She was on a private ship with her housemate, Krisreo, and he had seen her much more disheveled without blinking an eye. She couldn't hear the engines' roar, so she figured they must have landed back on Jorja.

She walked into the command room, where her eyes were immediately directed toward the distressed sway of Krisreo's tail.

"Kris, what's going on?" She brushed her fingers through her mane-like hair. "Are we back?"

"We're underground," he replied gravely.

She froze. "What?" Jorjans were surface-dwellers. Only the infrastructure and emergency shelters were underground. "Why?"

"Goraxes."

Maddie's face dropped. "Oh, Rao." Maddie was very religious; by evoking the name of the Sun God, she was actually soliciting a prayer.

"All communications are dead. They're all captured. Both sides." Jorja had two continents and one mega-river encircling the planet. One continent contained Myukans, like Krisreo, and Ruskans, like Maddinai.

"What are we going to do?"

"I tried contacting Urth. It's too far away. But the Groosalugg is supposed to be on Laintarr. Hopefully, he's get our message to the Champions."

"Let us hope to Rao that you are right."

_Let us hope…  
_

* * *

A/N: SamwiseAtHeart, thanks so much for the review. You are another case of reviewers almost reading my mind. I have an idea for another story (in addition to the companion fic for this one) which involves the characters keeping their abilities but taking a few years in the future. If I can ever manipulate a plot out of it, Chapter 1 is dedicated to you. 

Anyway, I will get right to work on the companion fic. I will start once I get enough plot twists worked out. But because I feel bad about leaving you with yet another cliffhanger, here's a sneak peak:

_Chloe tried not to roll her eyes at the photographer standing by her desk, asking about whether or not she had plans for the coming Saturday. "The coming Saturday" was tomorrow. Truthfully, she didn't. Her next assignment was due this evening, and she had kept that day free for a little time off. Since he was the photographer for her story, he knew what he schedule was like. _

_It wasn't that she didn't like Jimmy. He was great, a tad on the dorky side, but in a way that Chloe had a weak spot for. And best of all, he **noticed** her, which shouldn't have surprised her, but then again Chloe was friends with the painfully oblivious Clark Kent. Ironically, it was Clark Kent that even got Jimmy interested in Chloe. A few summers back, Chloe was the picture of a frustrated admirer. So, well, a cute guy—cute like a puppy, granted, but cute—asked her out for burgers, she might have had less-than-pure motives. Jimmy, being the gentleman, paid for dinner. Chloe paid him back way more than he owed. As much as she would have like to lament her decision terribly, she saw the experience as nothing more than her becoming a statistic. He joked that he never called. He wasn't supposed to call. In fact, she specifically told him that. _

_And it wasn't as if she was uninterested in Jimmy right now. He had matured just enough for Chloe to be okay with considering dating him, but right now was not the time. Things were complicated. As dense as Clark might be at times, he could take the hint to back off. Jimmy apparently lacked the gland which allowed this response. So, now, she was trapped at her desk, the finished article staring her in the face, as she desperately sought a good excuse to give Jimmy a rain check on Chinese food. Because, she didn't want to get things off on the wrong foot again. _

_Her excuse came in the form of—this was proof of a Higher Power, One with a sense of humor—the tall stature of Clark Kent. Chloe's heart leapt, no differently than it did the day he walked into her life. He wore a gravely serious expression, which was odd considering that standing by his side was… wait, why **was** Pete standing by his side? And…_

_Groo._

_Groo?_ _Did that mean…? Pete was wearing the tomahawk in his belt. That definitely meant…_

"_Jimmy," she said with anxiety in her voice to her fellow intern, "I'd love to go, but this weekend's bad." She shoved some papers away, ignoring the few that fell to the floor, and grabbed her keys. Without another word or gesture to Jimmy, who of course hadn't moved, she unlocked and opened the bottom drawer of her desk, pulling out a silver bracelet with a square turquoise gem, and slid it on her wrist. _

_She brushed past Jimmy, who at a loss for words, looking at her computer screen. "Your article…" _

"_Oh, my gosh! Thanks for reminding me, …" All at once, she couldn't get the intern's name to the tip of her tongue. She e-mailed her article to the head editor, and met Clark, Pete, and Groo a few feet from her desk. "This what I think it is?" _

"_Someone needs our help…" Groo began._

(Sonriso) - No! More! Raodammit!

©2006 Godeerc VanDrey Enterprises, Inc. Created Sunday, October 15, 2006. Finished Thursday, October 26, 2006.


End file.
